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This  book  was  presented  by 

Edward   S.    King 

Ci!K125 

L89 
cop. 2 


■-v,..i^^'*^i^f^ 


NORTH  CAROLINA  STATE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 


S011 42368  P 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  DATE 
INDICATED  BELOW  AND  IS  SUB- 
JECT TO  AN  OVERDUE  FINE  AS 
POSTED  AT  THE  CIRCULATION 
DESK. 


I  OCT  14  1981 

j&H  Oil  loq-i 


'°°Wfr  1  1 1984 


JUN  -  3  199,9 


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SEP  1 0  i 


SOUTHERN     WILD     FLOWERS 


AND     TREES 


PLATE   CXIX,      FLAME  AZALEA.     Azalea  lutea. 


II,    BY     FREDERICK  A.    STOKES  COMPANY 
PRINTED     IN    AMERICA 


SOUTHERN 
WILD  FLOWERS  AND  TREES 


Together  with 
SHRUBS,  VINES  AND    VARIOUS  FORMS  OF    GROWTH  FOUND  THROUGH 
THE  MOUNTAINS,  THE   MIDDLE  DISTRICT  AND 
THE  LOW  COUNTRY  OF 

THE  SOUTH 


ALICE    LOUNSBERRY 

Author  of'A  Guide  to  the  IVild  Flowers  "  and  "A  Guide  to  the  Trees  " 

WITH  SIXTEEN  COLOURED  AND  ONE   HUNDRED  AND  SIXTY-ONE 

BLACK-AND-WHITE   PLATES  AND  EIGHTY-EIGHT 

VIGNETTES  AND   DIAGRAMS 

BY 

MRS.    ELLIS    ROWAN 

Illustrator  of  "A  Guide  to  the  IV  ild  Flowers  "  and  "A  Guide  to  the  Trees'*' 
WitJi    an  Introduction 

BY 

CHAUNC  EY    D.    BEADLE 

OF  THE  BILTMORE  HERBARIUM 


» 


NEW    YORK 

FREDERICK  A.   STOKES   COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1901, 
By  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company, 


Published  in  September^   1901. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

PREFACE ix 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS xi 

INTRODUCTION xvii 

EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS .     xix 

The  Cycas  Family .       i 

The  Pine  Family 2 

The  Yew  Family 20 

The  Water-Plantain  Family 23 

The  Palm  Family 26 

The  Arum  Family 32 

The  Pine-Apple  Family 37 

The  Spiderwort  Family 38 

The  Pickerel-Weed  Family 41 

The  Stemona  Family .     44 

The  Bunch  Flower  Family 45 

The  Lily  Family        .        .        . 50 

The  Lily-of-the-valley  Family 58 

The  Smilax  Family 62 

The  Amaryllis  Family 66 

The  Yam  Family 69 

The  Iris  Family .        .        .69 

The  Canna  Family 71 

The  Arrowroot  Family 72 

The  Orchid  Family 72 

The  Lizard's  Tail  Family .97 

The  Walnut  Family 99 

The  Bayberry  Family ,        ...     105 

The  Cork-Wood  Family 109 

The  Willow  Family 109 

The  Birch  Family 115 

The  Beech  Family 119 

The  Elm  Family 139 

The  Mulberry  Family 143 


vi  CONTENTS. 

PAc;e 

The  Mistletoe  Family 144 

The  Sandalwood  Family *.        .        .  145 

The  Birthwort  Family 149 

The  Buckwheat  Family 152 

The  Purslane  Family 157 

The  Pink  Family 158 

The  Water  Lily  Family 162 

The  Magnolia  Family 164 

The  Custard  Apple  Family 169 

The  Crowfoot  Family 171 

The  Barberry  Family 187 

The  Strawberry-Shrub  Family 190 

The  Laurel  Family 191 

The  Poppy  Family 194 

The  Mustard  Family 198 

The  Caper  Family 205 

The  Pitcher-Plant  Family 205 

The  Sundew  Family 208 

The  Orpine  Family 211 

The  Saxifrage  Family 214 

The  Gooseberry  Family 225 

The  Witch-Hazel  Family 227 

The  Plane-Tree  Family 232 

The  Rose  Family            233 

The  Apple  Family 245 

The  Plum  Family 251 

The  Mimosa  Family 257 

The  Senna  Family 258 

The  Pea  Family              264 

The  Geranium  Family 284 

The  Wood-Sorrel  Family 285 

The  Flax  Family 288 

The  Caltrop  Family 289 

The  Rue  Family             290 

The  AiLANTHUs  Family 292 

The  Mahogany  Family 293 

The  Milkwort  Family 294 

The  Spurge  Family 299 

The  Crowberry  Family 304 

The  Box  Family 304 


CONTENTS.  vii 

PAGE 

The  Sumac  Family           306 

The  Cyrilla  Family         ..        o        .....        .  310 

The  Holly  Family 312 

The  Staff-Tree  Family 317 

The  Bladder-Nut  Family 319 


The  Maple  Family 


320 


The  Buckeye  Family 324 

The  Jewel-Weed  Family 326 

The  Buckthorn  Family  . 328 

The  Grape  Family 330 

The  Linden  Family 332 

The  Mallow  Family 335 

The  Tea  Family 337 

The  St.  John's-Wort  Family -339 

The  Rock-Rose  Family 345 

The  Violet  Family 346 

The  Passion-Flower  Family .352 

The  Loosestrife  Family '.        .  354 

The  Meadow-Beauty  Family .356 

The  Evening-Primrose  Family 359 

The  Ginseng  Family 362 

The  Carrot  Family 364 

The  Dogwood  Family 372 

The  White-Alder  Family 374 

The  Indian-Pipe  Family 375 

The  Heath  Family 376 

The  Huckleberry  Family 396 

The  Diapensia  Family 401 

The  Primrose  Family 407 

The  Plumbago  Family    „ 411 

The  Sapodilla  Family 412 

The  Ebony  Family           414 

The  Sweet  Leaf  Family .        .415 

The  Storax  Family 415 

The  Olive  Family             .        .        .        , 419 

The  Logania  Family 423 

The  Gentian  Family 425 

The  Buckbean  Family     .........  403 

The  Dogbane  Family 431 

The  Milkweed  Family   ,,,,,»,,.  435 


viii  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


The  Morning-Glory  Family 438 

The  Dodder  Family 440 

The  Phlox  Family 441 

The  Water-Leaf  Family 443 

The  Borage  Family 444 

The  Vervain  Family 446 

The  Mint  Family 448 

The  Potato  Family =458 

The  Figwort  Family .  460 

The  Bladderwort  Family  .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .  468 

The  Broom-Rape  Family 470 

The  Trumpet-Creeper  Family 471 

The  Acanthus  Family 472 

The  Madder  Family 473 

The  Honeysuckle  Family 478 

The  Bellflower  Family 481 

The  Chicory  Family 486 

The  Thistle  Family 494 

KEY  TO  THE  FAMILIES 536 

INDEX  TO  ENGLISH  NAMES 543 

INDEX  TO  LATIN  NAMES 558 


PREFACE. 


The  reason  to  hope  that  Southern  "  Wild  Flowers  and  Trees  "  will  find  a 
field  of  usefulness  is  that  it  is  the  first  book  written  to  treat  in  a  popular  way 
of  the  beauty  and  interest  attached  to  plant-life  through  this  great  region. 
Sometimes  we  hear  it  said  by  those  with  no  knowledge  of  botany  that  they 
"simply  enjoy  the  flowers,"  thus  implying  that  the  smallest  technical 
acquaintance  with  them  would  put  them  beyond  the  pale  of  such  pleasure. 
But  this  is  not  enough.  To  learn  of  the  kinship  between  plants ;  the 
characteristics  on  which  their  family  trees  are  founded  ;  their  individual  pe- 
culiarities and  their  keen  desire  to  continue  their  race  cannot,  it  would  seem, 
but  quicken  our  desire  to  know  them  well  and  enhance  our  wonder  concern- 
ing their  beauty.  There  is  a  time  when  the  green  things  of  the  earth  appeal 
strongly  to  those  that  live  busy  lives  in  the  cities  to  go  out  and  partake  of 
the  refreshment  offered  in  a  close  walk  with  nature. 

The  present  book  is  one  that  explains  itself.  It  is  simply  written,  and  the 
plan  of  arrangement  is  in  accordance  with  the  leading  scientific  botanical 
works  of  the  day.  Beginning  with  the  simplest  forms  of  growth,  the  plants 
are  entered  until  those  most  complicated  in  construction  are  reached.  In 
all  instances  an  effort  has  been  made  to  present  the  scientific  names  as 
recognised  under  the  laws  of  the  new  nomenclature,  while  many  of  the  Eng- 
lish names  herein  given  have  been  learned  directly  from  the  people. 

The  botanical  terms  that  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  use  in  the 
analyses  of  the  plants  have  a  chapter  devoted  to  their  explanation  and  are 
further  made  clear  by  illustrations.  Rather  than  use  for  this  book,  which 
makes  mention  of  over  a  thousand  plants,  some  popular  classification  such 
as  that  of  soil  or  colour,  a  simplified  key  to  the  plant  families  has  been 
arranged.  By  its  use  the  individuals  may  be  located  in  the  book  with 
greater  accuracy  than  by  other  means,  and  the  satisfaction  may  be  had  of 
entering  upon  the  study  of  plants  in  the  right  way.  The  book  will  thus  be 
a  better  beginning  ;  a  better  stepping-stone  to  those  purely  scientific. 

To  learn  something  of  the  history,  the  folk-lore  and  the  uses  of  southern 
plants  and  to  see  rare  ones  growing  in  their  natural  surroundings,  Mrs. 
Rowan  and  I  travelled  in  many  parts  of  the  south,  exercising  always  our  best 
blandishments  to  get  the  people  of  the  section  to  talk  with  us.     Through 


X  PREFACE. 

the  mountainous  region  we  drove  from  cabin  to  cabin,  and  nowhere  could 
we  have  met  with  greater  kindness  and  hospitality. 

At  the  present  time,  however,  there  seems  to  be  little  country-lore  con- 
cerning numbers  of  southern  plants.  In  years  to  come,  when  they  are  better 
known,  more  tales  of  wonder  will,  no  doubt,  be  woven  about  them.  But  for 
variety  and  beautiful,  luxuriant  growth  the  southern  field  is  perhaps  un- 
rivalled. 

Of  our  trips  to  different  places,  seeking  flowers,  the  sixteen  wash-drawings 
scattered  through  the  book  are  in  commemoration.  The  coloured  plates 
show  us  as  many  more  famous  beauties. 

Without  continual  reinforcement  my  courage  would  perhaps  have  met  its 
Waterloo.  I  might  never  have  written  "  Southern  Wild  Flowers  and  Trees." 
With  much  gratitude,  therefore,  I  acknowledge  the  privilege  accorded 
me  of  using  the  files  of  the  Biltmore  Herbarium  and  of  receiving  the  advice 
and  assistance  of  the  associates  of  that  institution,  all  of  whom  helped  me  in 
securing  specimens  and  in  seaching  out  references.  Dr.  Carl  Mohr,  of 
Asheville,  N.  C,  helped  me  out  of  some  difificulties ;  Miss  Harrison  of 
Washington,  Mr.  McEhvee  of  Philadelphia  and  numbers  of  people  whom 
I  met  at  various  places — and  whose  faces  I  remember  better  than  their 
names — were  most  kind  in  their  assistance  in  my  work. 

Alice  Lounsberry. 


List   of  Illustrations. 


The  mark  *  *  *  which  appears  in  the  list  designates  the  plates  that 
in  colour.  The  number  of  the  page  given  for  each  of  these  coloured 
of  the  printed  ^?igt  faced  hy  the  coloured  plate  in  each  case. 


PLATE. 
I. 
II. 
III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

Xi. 

XII. 

XIII. 


PINES  ON  THE  ROAD  TO  HIGHLANDS,  N.  C. 
CAROLINA  HEMLOCK.      Tsiiga  Caroliniana, 
SILVER  FIR,     Abies  Fraseri,       .... 
THE  SILVER  FIR  ON  ROAN  MOUNTAIN. 
BALD  CYPRESS.      Taxodium.  distichum, 
SOUTHERN  WHITE  CEDAR.      Chaincecyparis  thyoides, 
FLORIDA  PENCIL  CEDAR.     Junipertcs  barbadensis, 
TORREY-TREE.      Tuviion  Taxifolium^ 
LANCE-LEAVED  SAGITTARIA.     Sagittaria  lanci/olia, 
SAW  PALMETTO.     Serenoa  serrttlata, 
GREEN  DRAGON.     Arisceuta  Dracontiiini^ 
WATER  LETTUCE.     Pistia  spathuliita^ 
VIRGINIA  DAY-FLOWER.      Commelina  Virginica, 
XIV.     WATER-HYACINTH.     Piaropus  crassipes,       . 
XV.     WATER-HYACINTHS  ON  THE  ST.  JOHN'S  RIVER     • 

XVI,  SOUTHERN  RED  LILY.     Lilium  Catesba-i,      . 

XVII.  ASA  GRAY'S  LILY.     Liliiun  Gray!,      , 
XVIII.     YELLOW  COLIC-ROOT.     Aletris  azirea, 

XIX.  SPANISH  BAYONET.      Vucca  aloifolia, 

XX.  ATAMASCO  LILY.     Aiamosco  Atamasco, 


XXI. 
XXII. 
XXIII. 
XXIV. 
XXV. 
XXVI. 
XXVII. 
XXVIII. 


ST.  JOHN'S  RIVER. 

SHOWY  LADY'S  SLIPPER.     Cyprzpedium  regince,    . 
YELLOW  FRINGED  ORCHID.     Habenaria  ciliaris, 
RAGGED  ORCHID.     Habenaria  lacera, 
LARGE  PURPLE  FRINGED  ORCHID.     Habenaria  grandifiora, 
FRINGELESS  PURPLE  ORCHID.     Habenaria  per amasna, 
WHORLED  POGONIA.     Pogonia  verticillata,. 
NODDING  POGONIA,     Pogonia  trianthophora. 


are  produced 
plates  is  that 

PAGE. 
facing    4 

9 
***   lO 

facing  12 
13 
15 
19 
21 
24 
29 
33 
35 
39 
43 

facing  44 
*  *  *  50 
53 
55 
57 
65 

facing  68 
***  74 
75 
77 
79 
81 

83 
8S 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


PLATE, 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 

XXXVII, 

XXXVIII. 

XXXIX. 

XL. 

XLI. 

XLII. 

XLIII. 

XLIV, 

XLV, 

XLVI. 

XLVII. 

XLVIIl. 

XLIX. 

L. 

LI. 

Lll. 

Llll. 

LIV. 

LV. 

LVI. 

LVII. 

LVIII. 

LIX. 

LX. 

LXI. 

LXII. 

LXIII. 

LXIV. 

LXV. 

LXVI. 

LXVII. 

LXVIII. 

LXIX. 


NODDING  LADY'S  TRESSES.     Gyrosiachys  cernua, 
TWISTED  ORCHID.     Gyrosiachys  brevifolia, 
DOWNY  RATTLESNAKE  PLANTAIN.     Peratiiium pubescens 
KIDNEY-LEAF  TWAYBLADE,     Listera  Smalli, 
LARGE  TWAYBLADE.     Leptorchis  liliifolia, 
LARGE  CORAL-ROOT.     Corallorhiza  muliiflora 
CRANE   FLY  ORCHID.      Tipularia  uni/oHn, 
lizard's  TAIL.     Saiiruriis  cernuus^ 
NUTMEG  HICKORY,      Hicoria  viyy-isticcpfortnis^ 
WOOLLY  PIGNUT.     Hicoria  villosa, 
CANDLE  BERRY-     Myrica  cerifera, 
SWEET  FERN.      Coviptonia peregrina, 
CORK-WOOD.     Leitneria  Floridana, 
COTTONWOOD.     Populus  deltoides, 
AMERICAN  BEECH.     Fagus  Americana, 
TEXAN  RED  OAK.     Quercus  Texana, 
GEORGIA  OAK.     Querciis  Georgiana, 
SHINGLE  OAK.      Quercus  inibricaria, 
LAUREL  OAK.     Quercus  lauri folia, 
OVER  CUP  OAK.     Quercus    lyrata, 
LIVE  OAK.     Quercus  Virginiana, 
SPREADING  ELM.     Ulmus  Serotiria,    . 
BUCKLEYA.     Buckleya  distichophylla, 
DUTCHMAN'S  PIPE.      Aristoiochia  7uacropkyila, 
ERIOGONUM.      Eriogofiu7n  toinentosuin, 
PINE-BARREN  SANDWORT.     Arcnaria  Caroliniana, 
GREAT  FLOWERED  MAGNOLIA.     Magnolia  foetida 
CUSTARD  APPLE.     Asimina  speciosa, 
LAKE  SAPPHIRE.  .... 

CAROLINA  ANEMONE.     Anemone  Caroliniana, 
LEATHER -FLOWER.     Clematis  viorna, 
WILD  BLEEDING  HEART.     Bicuculla  eximia, 
TWO-LEAVED  TOOTHWORT.     Dcntaria  diphylla. 
yy;^R£A_      IVarea  aniplexifolia, 
TRUMPETS.     Sarracenia  Drutntnondi, 
VENUS'S  FLY-TRAP.     Dioncea  muscipula,      . 
WIDOW'S  CROSS.     Sedum pulchellum, 
MICHAUX'S  SAXIFRAGE.     Saxi/raga  Michauxii, 
HAIRY  HEUCHERA.     Heuchera  villosa, 
DECUNARIA.     Decunaria  Barbara, 
ROUGH  SYRINGA.     Philadelphus  hirsutus, 
DROOPING  GOOSEBERRY.     Ribes  curvatum, 
FOTHERGILLA.     Fothergilla  major. 


PAGE. 

86 
86 


170 

facing    172 
178 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


xiu 


PLATE. 

LXX. 

LXXI. 

LXXII. 

LXXIII. 

LXXIV. 

LXXV. 

LXXVI. 

LXXVII. 

LXXVIII. 

LXXIX. 

LXXX. 

LXXXI. 

LXXXII. 

LXXXlll. 

LXXXIV. 

LXXXV. 

LXXXVI. 

LXXXVII. 

LXXXVIII. 

LXXXIX. 

XC. 

XCI. 

XCII. 

XCIll. 

XCIV. 

XCV. 

XCVI. 

XCVII. 

XCVIM. 

XCIX. 

c. 

CI. 
Cll. 

cm. 

CIV. 

cv. 

CVI. 

evil. 

CVIII. 
CIX. 

ex. 

CXI. 
CXII. 


SWEET  GUM.     Liquidavibar  styracijlua^ 
Nevitisia  Aladamensisy  .... 

CHEROKEE  ROSE.     ^''•f«  Icevigata,     . 

NARROW-LEAVED  CRAB-APPLE.     Malus  angustifolia, 

POMETTE  BLEUE.      Cratcegus  brachyacantha^ 

MISS  VAIL'S  HAW.     Cratagus  VailicB, 

Prutius  Alabainensis^      ..... 

Prunus  injiicunday  ..... 

LARGE  SENSITIVE  PLANT.     Cassia  ChamcBcrista^ 

WATER  LOCUST,     deditsia  aquatica^ 

Baptisia  J>erfoliata^         ..... 

LEAD  PLANT.     Aviorpha  virgata^ 

PRAIRIE  CLOVER.     Petaiostemon  Gattingeri^ 

AMERICAN  WISTARIA.     Kraunhia /rutescens, 

\J\E\N  FROM  THE  PATH  UP  GRANDFATHER  MOUNTAIN. 

BOYNTON'S  ROBINIA.     Pobitua  Boyntoni,     . 

POINTED-LEAVED  TICK-TREFOIL.     Meibomia  grandiflora, 

Erythrina  herbacea,         ..... 

GREAT  YELLOW  WOOD-SORREL.     Oxalis grandis, 
LIGNUM-VIT/E.     Guaiacuvi  sanctum^ 
TOOTHACHE-TREE.     XantJioxyluin  Clava-Herculis^ 
TALL  PINE-BARREN  MILKWORT.     Polygala  cyvtosa, 
LARGE  FLOWERED  MILKWORT.     Polygala  grandiflora^ 
ALABAMA  CROTON.     Croto?t  Alabaviensis, 
TREAD  SOFTLY.    Jatropha  stimitlosa, 
Ceratiola  ericoides,  ..... 

Rhus  Michauxi,    ...... 

AMERICAN  SMOKE-TREE.     Cotinus  Cotinoides, 
SOUTHERN  LEATHERWOOD.     Cyrilla  raceinijlora, 
BUCKWHEAT  TREE.     Cli/tonia  tnonophylla, 
YAUPON.     Jlex  vojftiforia,  .... 

CANBY'S  MOUNTAIN  LOVER.     Pachystima  Canbyi, 
A  cer  leucodenne^  ..... 

INDIAN  CHERRY.     Rhantnus  Caroliniana,    . 
p£pp£F{_Vlf>j£_     Ampelopsis  arborea^ 
WHITE  BASSWOOD-      Tilia  heterophylla,      . 
SCARLET  HIBISCUS  ON  ST.  JOHN'S  RIVER. 
LOBLOLLY  BAY.     Gordonia  lasianthus^ 
FRANKLINIA.      Gordonia  altajuaha^    . 
ST.  JOHN'S-WORT.     Hypericum  aureujn,    . 
ARROW-LEAVED  VIOLET.      I'iola  sagittata, 
HALBERD-LEAVED  YELLOW  VIOLET,     ^"iola  hastata, 
PASSION-FLOWER.     Passiflora  incarnata, 


PAGE. 
231 
242 

facing     244 

247 

*  *  * 


*  *  * 
facing 


facing:. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PLATE. 

CXIII.  SWAMP  LOOSESTRIFE.     Decodon  verticillatus,       . 

CXIV.  MARYLAND  MEADOW-BEAUTY.     Rhexia  Mariana^ 

CXV.  FLOATING  JUSSI/EA.    Ji^ssicea  repens  grandiflora. 

CXVI.  FIVE-LEAVED  GINSENG.     Panax  quinquefolium, 

CXVII.  BUTTON  SNAKEROOT.     Eryngium  aquaticutn, 

CXVIII.  CAROLINA  BEECH-DROPS.     Monotrofisis  odorata, 

CXIX.  FLAME  AZALEA.     Azalea  lutea, 

CXX,  PURPLE  LAUREL.      Rhododendron  Cataiubiense^ 

CXXI.  HEMLOCKS  AND  RHODODENDRONS. 

CXXII.  SAND  MYRTLE.      Dendriu7n  buxi/oliu7n  prostratu 

CXXIII.  TAR-FLOWER.      Bejaria  raceviosa,      . 

CXXIV.  EUioitia  racemosa,  .... 

CXXV.  WICKY.     Kabnia  cuneaia, 

CXXVI.  HAIRY  LAUREL.     Kabnia  hirsuta, 

CXXVII.  CATESBY'S  LEUCOTHOE.      Leucothoe  Catcsbcei, 

CXXVIII.  MOUNTAIN  LEUCOTHOE.         Leucothoe  recurva 

CXXIX,  BUCKBERRY.      Gaylussacia  ursina,     . 

CXXX.  HAIRY  HUCKLEBERRY.      Vacciniuvi  hirsntum^ 

CXXXI.  SHORTIA.      Shortia  galaci/olia, 

CXXXII.  GALAX.     Galax  a/>hylla,  ... 

CXXXIII.  LOOSESTRIFE.     Lysimachia  Frasert, 

CXXXIV.  AMERICAN  FEATHERFOIL.      Hottonia  injlata, 

CXXKV.  WOOLLY  BUCKTHORN.     Bumelia  lanuginosa^ 

CXXXVI.  FOUR-WINGED   SNOWDROP  TREE.     Mohrodendron  Carolinum 

CXXXVII.  STACK  ROCK.  ..... 

CXXXVIII,  LARGE-LEAVED  STORAX.     Siorax  grandi/olia, 

CXXXIX.  GREEN  ASH.      Fraxi?ius  lanceolata,    . 

CXL.  YELLOW  JESSAMINE.      Gelsemium  sempervirens, 

CXLI.  ELLIOTT'S  SABBATIA.     Sabbatia  Ellioitii, 

CXLII.  BOYKIN'S  MARSH  PINK.      Sabbatia  Boykinii, 

CXLIII.  STIFF  GENTIAN.      Gentiana  guinguejlora,     . 

CXLIV.  FLOATING-HEART.     Limnanthernum  aquaticum^ 

CXLV.  Anisonia  angusti/olia,     .... 

CXLVI.  WHITE  MILKWEED.     Asclepias  variegata,     . 

CXLVII.  C/ESAR'S  HEAD.  .... 

CXLVIII.  RAVEN-FOOTED  GILIA.     Gilia  rubra, 

CXLIX.  Scutellaria  vtontana,       .... 

CL.  NARROW-LEAVED  SAGE.     Salvia  azurea,    . 

CLI,  HORSE-NETTLE.     Solanuiti  Carolinense, 

CLII.  FROM  THE  SUMMIT  OF  SATULA  MOUNTAIN. 

CLIII.  LARGE  PURPLE  GERARDIA.     Gerardia purpurea, 

CLIV.  SCARLET  PAINTED-CUP.     Castilleja  coccinea, 

CLV.  YELLOW  PINGUICULA,     Pinguecula  lutea,    . 


PAGE. 

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LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


XV 


PLATE. 

CLVI,  TRUMPET  VINE  AND  COTTON  FIELD. 

CLVII.  THYME-LEAVED  BLUETS.     Houstotiia  serpyllifolia, 

CLVIII.  GEORGIA  BARK.     Pinckneya pubens,  . 

CLXIX.  HONEYSUCKLE.     Diervilla  sessilifolia, 

CLX.  GLANDULAR  LOBELIA.     Lobelia glatididosa, 

CLXI.  GRANDFATHER  MOUNTAIN.       • 

CLXII.  CYNTHIA.      Adopogon  Virginzcum,      . 

CLXIII.  RATTLESNAKE-WEED.     Hieracium  venosum, 

CLXIV.  BLUE  STOKESIA.      Stokesia  l<Bvis, 

CLXV.  RUIN  NEAR  C/ESAR'S  HEAD.      • 

CLXVI.  CLIMBING  HEMP-WEED.     WiUughbcea  scattdens, 

CLXVII.  Carphephorus  coryjubosus^ 

CLXVIII.  Pterocaulon  pycnostachyutn^       .  .  . 

CLXIX.  GOLDEN-ROD.      Solidago  glovierata, 

CLXX.  Heleastruin  Chaptnatiii^ 

CLXXI.  SMALL-FLOWERED  LEAF-CUP.     Polymnia  Canadensis, 

CLXXII.  PRAIRIE  DOCK.     Silphiuin  terebintkinaceu) 

CLXXIII.  SUNFLOWER.     Helianthus  longifolius, 

CLXXIV.  GARDEN  TICKSEED.     Coreopsis  tinctoria, 

CLXXV.  POLYPTERIS.     Polypteris  integri/olia, 

CLXXVI.  RAGWORT.     Senecio  millefolium, 

CLXXVII.  SUNSET  AT  BLOWING  ROCK. 


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INTRODUCTION. 


Where  are  fairer  flowers  than  those  that  deck  the  fields  and  forests  ot 
the  south  ?  From  tide-water  to  peaks  where  trees  have  never  dared  to 
cUmb— from  pahiis  and  hanging  moss  to  painted-cup  and  balsams — and  all 
between  intensely  interesting  and  bewildering  !  But  now  a  guide  appears  to 
lead  the  novice  to  a  knowledge  of  southern  trees  and  flowers,  one  freed  as 
much  as  can  be  from  the  brogue  of  technicality,  that  barrier  between  so 
many  and  the  society  of  the  flowers  that  beckon  with  their  glances.  None 
is  more  needed  than  a  popular  botany  of  the  region,  visited  and  viewed  as  it 
is  by  countless  persons  who  seek  the  pines,  the  mountains  or  the  coast,  and 
to  most  of  whom  the  flora  is  but  a  maze  of  forms  and  colours.  To  such, 
then,  this  volume  appeals,  and  if  by  its  guidance  its  readers  are  brought  in 
closer  touch  with  nature,  or  are  led  to  see  the  greater  wealth  of  floral  beauty 
by  the  prismatic  influence  of  stronger  light,  its  mission  will  be  of  inestima- 
ble good. 

The  field  of  southern  botany  is  but  partially  explored.  New  characters 
are  being  introduced,  new  histories  written  concerning  the  famous  and  ob- 
scure. Never  has  there  been  greater  activity  in  the  science,  and  were  not 
the  field  so  large  the  efforts  of  its  devotees  might  quickly  steal  the  secrets 
which  hide  from  all  but  time  and  toil.  What  subject  offers  better  problems 
or  invites  wMth  better  grace  ?  The  geography  of  plants  which  we  know,  the 
altitudinal  distribution,  adaptation  or  sensibility  of  this  one  or  that,  are  but 
suggestive  of  the  almost  boundless  phases  that  await,  like  the  intricacies  of 
chess,  the  progress  of  the  players. 

Through  the  pages  which  follow  are  descriptions  and  artistic  reproductions 
of  many  trees  and  flowers  that  glisten,  as  it  were,  with  white  sands  or  moun- 
tain showers,  or  else  we  feel  the  shade  of  cool  retreats,  so  faithfully  has  na- 
ture been  consulted.  The  arrangement  of  plant  families  in  close  conform- 
ity to  the  system  of  classification  destined  to  pervade  the  botanies  of  both 
popular  and  technical  import  is  a  commendable  feature  which,  in  connection 
with  an  attempt  to  adopt  the  oldest  names,  will  quickly  aid  to  pave  the  way 
to  a  knowledge  of  the  southern  flora  in  harmony  with  the  progress  of  the 
times. 

Biltmore  Herbarium,  Biltmore,  N.  C,  July  i6th,  1901.     C.  D.  Beadle. 


Explanation  of  Terms. 


Whether  great  or  small,  we  find  that  phaenogamous,  or  flowering,  plants 
are  provided  with,  as  organs  of  vegetation,  roots,  stems  and  leaves;  and 
that  they  may  continue  their  race  they  produce  flowers,  which  later  mature 
fruit  and  seeds,  these  latter  being  known  as  the  organs  of  reproduction. 

Beginning  with  the  Roots,  those  underground  parts  which  absorb  water 
and  mineral  substances  from  the  soil,  and  anchor,  especially  the  larger 
plants,  in  an  upright  position,  we  observe  that  they  grow  downward,  away 
from  the  light,  are  usually  much  branched  and  produce  many  rootlets. 

Aerial  Roots,  on  the  contrary,  are  a  form  which  are  produced  in  the  open 
air. 

Parasites  are  those  plants,  often  without  green  colouring  matter,  the 
roots  of  which,  or  what  answer  for  roots,  are  interwoven  with  other  vegeta- 
tion from  which  they  drain  their  nourishment. 

Saprophytic  plants  grow  exclusively  on  dead  vegetable  matter. 

Epiphytes  are  not  parasitic  plants,  although  they  grow  usually  on  other 
forms  of  growth. 

Stems  sometimes  grow  underground  and  assume  somewhat  the  charac- 
ter of  roots.     As  examples,  the  rootstock,  tuber  and  bulb  are  common. 

Tubers  are  the  enlargements  at  the  ends  of  a  rootstock.  Usually  they 
are  possessed  of  eyes,  or  buds.  The  common  potato  is  a  familiar  example 
of  a  tuber. 

A  Corm  is  simply  a  rounded  rootstock. 

A  Bulb,  while  similar  in  shape  to  a  corm,  is  made  up  of  fleshy  scales. 

Exogenous  Stems  (outside  growing)  are  those  which  are  associated  with 
the  greater  number  of  our  trees,  shrubs  and  herbs.  In  them  the  cellular 
tissue  or  pith  of  the  centre  is  surrounded  by  a  zone  of  wood,  encased  in  its 
turn  by  an  outer  bark. 

Endogenous  Stems  (inside  growing)  have  no  separate  arrangement  of 
pith,  wood  and  bark.  Simply  throughout  their  interior  wood  fibre  is 
irregularly  scattered. 

When  speaking  of  herbs,  those  stems  which  grow  up  vertically  are  called 
Erect, 


XX  EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS, 

Ascending  Stems  are  those  slightly  and  obliquely  inclined. 

Procumbent  Stems  are  those  which  lie  on  the  ground. 

Decumbent  Stems  are  the  same  as  procumbent,  but  which  raise  them- 
selves at  the  ends. 

Creeping  Stems  run  along  the  ground,  and  frequently  root  themselves 
freely  from  the  nodes. 

A  Simple  Stem  is  one  that  is  not  branched. 

Leaves,  as  they  are  produced,  follow  three  principal  forms  of  arrange- 
ment. When  but  two  grow  at  the  nodes  of  the  stem  and  have  its  semi- 
circle between  them,  they  are  spoken  of  as  being  Opposite.     (FiG.  7.) 

Alternate  Leaves  are  those  which  occur  singly  at  the  nodes,  one  above 
the  other  and  on  opposite  sides  of  the  stem.     (FiG.  8.) 

Verticillate,  or  Whorled,  describes  leaves  when  three  or  several  grow  at 
intervals  in  a  circle  about  the  stem.     (FiG.  9.) 

Scattered  Leaves  are  those  occurring  closely  and  all  about  the  stem,  such 
as  are  seen  on  hemlock  branches. 

The  THREE  PARTS  OF  A  LEAF  are  its  Blade,  the  broad,  expanded  net- 
work of  veins  and  veinlets  which  support  the  soft,  green,  cellular  tissue  ;  the 


FIGS 


Petiole,  or  individual  stalk  on  which  the  blade  is  raised  ;  and  the  Stipules, 
these  latter  being  a  pair  of  small,  blade-like  bodies  at  the  base  of  the  petiole 
and  often  absent  or  inconspicuous. 

All  parts  of  a  leaf  are  covered  by  a  transparent  skin,  or  epidermis,  and 
according  as  the  surfaces  are  rough  or  smooth  it  is  spoken  of  as  being  : 

Glabrous  :  meaning  quite  smooth, — that  is,  not  provided  with  a  coating  or 
down  of  hairs. 

Pubescent  :  when  the  surfaces  are  downy,  or  covered  with  fine  hairs. 

Tomentose  :  when  the  hairs  which  cover  the  surfaces  are  matted  and 
woolly. 

Hirsute ;  wl^en  covered  with  coarse,  rather  firm,  hairs. 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS. 


XXI 


Ciliate  :  when  provided  with  hairs  that  fringe  the  margins. 

Glaucous:  when  the  surfaces  are  covered  with  a  white  powdery  substance 
called  a  bloom. 

The  Midrib,  or  Midvein,  of  a  leaf  is  the  central  one  of  its  framework, 
usually  longer  and  more  prominent  than  the  others.  The  sub-divisions  are 
known  as  Veinlets  and  the  finest  ones  as  Veinulets. 

Not  all  veins  and  veinlets,  however,  are  arranged  in  the  same  way. 
Leaves,  therefore,  are  divided  into  two  classes,  according  to  their  venation, 
the  first  being  those  that  are  Netted  Veined  and  the  second  those  that  are 
Parallel  Veined. 

Under  netted-veined  leaves  (FiG.  14),  those  in  which  the  veins  branch 
and  rebranch  from  the  midrib  and  form  a  close  mesh  or  network,  we  have 


FIGS.      ID,         II 


3,         14,         i5»         16,  17, 


both  Pinnately-Veined,  or  Feather- Veined,  Leaves,  and  Palmately- Veined 
Leaves.     Of  these. 

Pinnately,  or  Feather-Veined,  Leaves  are  those  wherein  the  veins,  from 
the  base  to  the  apex,  all  start  out  from  the  sides  of  the  midrib,  as  in  FiG.  25. 

Palmately-Veined  Leaves  differ  from  the  former  in  having  several  veins 
of  nearly  equal  size  which  from  a  common  point  at  the  base  branch  at 
various  angles  and  extend  to  nearly  the  leaf's  margin.     (FiG.   18.) 

Under  the  second  division  of  leaf  venation  we  find  those  that  are 
Parallel  Veined — their  veins  running  side  by  side  from  the  base  to  the  apex 
of  the  leaf  without  intermingling,  and  being  only  crossed  by  almost  imper- 
ceptible veinlets.     (FiG.  23.) 

Leaves  assume  a  great  variety  of  forms,  which,  primarily,  may  be  di- 
vided into  two  large  classes,  Simple  Leaves  and  Compound  Leaves. 

Simple  Leaves  are  those  with  the  blade  in  one  piece. 

Compound  Leaves  have  their  blades  split  into  from  three  to  many  parts, 
each  part  forming  then  a  separate  leaflet,  which  may  or  may  not  have  a 
little  stalk  of  its  owa.     (Figs.  3,  4  and  5.) 


XXll 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS. 


Pinnate  Leaves  are  forms  of  compound  leaves  in  which  the  blade  is  split 
and  the  leaflets  arranged  at  the  sides  of  the  midvein,  after  the  same  manner 
as  leaves  are  pinnately  veined.     (Fig.  3.)     Varieties  of  this  form  are  these  : 

Abruptly  Pinnate  :  wherein  the  leaf  is  terminated  by  a  pair  of  leaflets. 

Odd  Pinnate  :  when  one  leaflet  terminates  the  midvein,  or  again  the 
terminal  leaflet  of  this  form,  as  in  many  vines,  is  changed  into  a  tendril. 

Palmately  Compound  Leaves  have  leaflets  spreading  from  a  common 
point  at  the  base  and  follow  the  manner  of  palmately-veined  leaves. 

Leaves  may  be  twice,  thrice  or  more  times  compound  when  they  are  de- 
scribed by  such  terms  as  decompound,  divided  more  than  once  ;  bipinnate, 
meaning  twice  pinnate  (FiG.  4)  ;  ternately  compound,  divided  into  seg- 
ments of  threes,  etc. 

Always  are  their  leaflets  subject  to  the  same  variations  in  construction  as 
are  simple  leaves,  and  that  some  of  their  most  common  forms  maybe  readily 
known  the  following  terms  are  in  use : 


FIGS.  19, 


23,       24, 


25, 


26, 


27, 


28. 


Filiform  :  very  fine,  thread-like. 

Linear :  when  the  leaf  is  several  times  longer  than  broad  ;  grass-like. 
(Fig.  23.) 

Lanceolate :  long  and  narrow  ;  broadening  at  or  near  the  base  and 
pointed  at  the  apex.     (FiG.  21,) 

Oblanceolate:  a  reversed  lanceolate. 

Oblong :  two  or  three  times  longer  than  broad  and  rounded  at  the  ex- 
tremities.    (Fig.  25.) 

Elliptical :  the  same  as  oblong,  but  tapering  at  both  ends.     (Fig.  12.) 

Oval  :  broadly  elliptical. 

Ovate :  when  the  outline  is  like  the  long  section  of  an  egg,  the  larger  end 
being  downward.     (Fig.  26.) 

Obovate:  a  reversed  ovate.     (Fig.  15.) 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS. 


xxiii 


Cordate :  the  same  as  ovate,  but  with  sides  forming  a  notch  at  the  base. 
(Fig.  28.) 

Obcordate  :  a  reversed  cordate. 

Spatulate  :  rounded  at  the  apex  and  tapering  towards  the  base,  like  a 
spatula.     (Fig.  22.) 

Orbicular  :  nearly  circular  in  outline. 

Peltate  :  as  orbicular,  but  having  the  petiole  attached  at  or  near  the 
middle  of  the  leaf.     (P^IG.  I.) 

Reniform  :  similar  to  the  base  of  a  cordate  leaf,  the  apex,  however,  being 
shorter  and  more  rounded,    (Fig,  2.) 


Axillary.  Raceme.  Spike. 

FIG.  29.  FIG.  30.  FIG.  31. 

Auriculate  :  when  at  the  base  the  leaf's  sides  are  prolonged  into  two  ears, 
or  lobes. 

Sagittate  :  when  pointed  at  the  apex  and  with  acute  basal  lobes  turned 
backward,  suggestive  of  an  arrow-head. 

Much  affected  also  is  the  appearance  of  leaves  by  the  peculiarities  of  their 
margins,  and  to  the  different  forms  of  which  the  following  terms  are  in 
reference : 

Entire  :  when  the  leaf  margins  form  an  unbroken  line.    (FiG.  24,) 

Undulate  :  when  the  margins  are  wavy. 


XXIV 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS. 


Crenate  :  when  the  margins  appear  to  be  scalloped,  or  have  rounded 
teeth.    (Fig.  14.) 

Serrate  :  when  the  teeth  of  the  margins  are  short  and  sharp  and  point 
forward.     (Figs,  ii  and  12.) 

Dentate  :  when  the  teeth  are  large  and  point  outward.     (FiG.  20.) 

Incised:  when  the  teeth  are  uneven  and  jagged  and  extend  well  into 
the  leaf. 


spat  he  and  Spadit. 
FIG.   32. 


Corymb. 
FIG.   34 


Lobed  :  when,  the  margins  are  cut  so  as  to  extend  about  half-way  to  the 
midrib,  thus  forming  distinct  lobes.  (Figs.  13  and  17.)  Such  leaves  then 
are  spoken  of  as  being  three-lobed,  five-lobed,  or  according  to  the  number 
existing. 

Cleft  as  a  term  has  much  the  same  significance  as  lobed,  but  the  incisions 
of  the  leaf  reach  more  than  half-way  to  the  midrib.     (Figs.  13  and  19.) 

Divided:  when  the  incisions  extend  to  "the  midrib. 

Sinus  is  the  term  used  to  express  the  hollow  or  curve  made  between  the 
projecting  teeth  or  lobes. 

Bracts  are  the  modified  leaves  of  an  inflorescence  and  are  under  the 
flowers.  Usually  they  are  green,  and  differ  in  outline  from  the  rest  of  the 
foliage,  or  they  may  be  highly  coloured  and  conspicuous. 

The  Inflorescence  is  the  way  in  which  the  flowers  are  arranged  on  the 
stem.     It  may  be  either  determinate  or  indetermina.te. 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS. 


XXV 


A  Determinate  Inflorescence  is  one  in  which  all  the  flowers  have  been 
produced  from  terminal  buds ;  one  that  is  indeterminate  signifies  that  they 
have  sprung  from  axillary,  or  lateral,  buds. 

A  Pedicel  is  the  individual  stalk  of  a  flower  that  is  borne  in  a  cluster. 

A  Peduncle  is  the  common  stalk  that  upholds  a  cluster  or  a  solitary 
flower. 

Sessile  is  the  word  used  when  either  flowers  or  leaves  grow  closely  to 
the  stems,  or  branches,  and  are  without  individual  stalks. 

When  but  one  flower  is  produced  at  the  end  of  a  stem  the  inflorescence 
is  Terminal  and  Solitary. 


Sitnple  Umbels. 
FIG.   35. 


It  is  Axillary  when  the  flower,  or  flowers,  grow  in  the  leaf  axils, — that  is, 
in  the  angle  formed  by  the  leaf,  or  leaf-stalk,  and  the  stem.     (Fig.  29.) 

A  Raceme  is  a  flower-cluster  wherein  the  individuals  are  arranged  along 
the  sides  of  a  common  stalk  and  raised  on  pedicels  of  almost  equal  length. 
(Fig.  30.) 

A  Panicle  is  simply  a  compound  raceme. 

A  Thyrsus  is  a  compound  panicle,  very  compact  and  pyramidal,  or  oblong, 
in  outline. 

A  Spike  is  like  a  raceme  in  all  else  but  that  its  individual  flowers  are 
sessile.     (FiG.  31.) 


XXVI 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS. 


A  Spadix  is  a  fleshy  spike,  usually  enveloped  by  a  leaf-like  bract  called  a 
Spathe.     (Fig.  32.) 

An  Ament,  or  Catkin  (FiG.  33),  is  a  scaly  sort  of  spike  wherein  the 
flowers  are  apetalous, — that  is,  having  no  corollas.  The  trees  especially 
bear  flowers  in  aments,  they  being  often  composed  exclusively  of  either 
staminate  or  pistillate  flowers. 

A  Head  or  Capitulum  is  a  short,  dense  spike  that  in  outline  is  globular. 

A  Corymb  differs  from  a  raceme  in  that  its  lower  pedicels  are  elongated, 
thus  enabling  all  the  flowers  of  the  cluster  to  reach  about  the  same  height. 
(Fig.  34.) 

An  Umbel  is  a  cluster  in  which  the  pedicels  branch  from  the  same  central 


PETAL 
PISTIL, 


STAMEN 


CALYX 


OVARY 


Parts  0/ a  Flower, 
FIG.  37. 


Sa  Iver-sh  aped. 


Ca  mpa  nulate. 
FIG.  40. 


point  as  the  ribs  of  an  umbrella.  (FiG.  35.)  When  occurring  compound  the 
little  clusters  are  called  umbellets. 

A  Cyme  is  a  flat-topped  flower-cluster,  and  differs  from  an  umbel  in  that 
its  innermost  flowers  are  the  first  to  open.     (FiG.  36.) 

An  Involucre  is  an  arrangement  of  bracts  which  subtend  or  hold  a  flower 
or  flower-cluster.     The  thistle  family  present  examples  of  involucres. 

Staminate  Flowers  are  those  possessed  of  stamens,  but  which  have  no 
pistils,  or  but  rudimentary  ones.  Pistillate  Flowers  are  just  the  reverse  of 
those  that  are  staminate.  When  both  of  these  sorts  of  flowers  are  borne  on 
the  same  plant  it  is  said  to  be  Monoecious,  meaning  in  one  household  ; 
when,  however,  they  are  borne  on  different  individuals,  the  plants  are  called 
DicEcious,  in  two  households. 

Flowers  possessing  both  of  these  necessary  organs  of  reproduction,  the 
stamens  and  pistils,  are  Perfect  ones,  and  when  this  is  not  so  they  are  Im- 
perfect Flowers. 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS. 


XXV  n 


Neutral  Flowers  have  neither  stamens  nor  pistils. 

A  Complete  Flower  is  one  which  has  both  of  the  organs  of  reproduction, 
and  also  those  of  protection,  the  calyx  and  corolla. 

Incomplete  Flowers  are  lacking  in  one  or  more  of  these  parts. 

Regular  Flowers  are  symmetrical,  the  parts  of  each  set  of  their  organs 
being  alike  in  size  and  form,  while  Irregular  Flowers  show  often  great 
variations  in  their  respective  parts. 

The  Calyx  (FiG,  37)  of  a  flower  is  the  outermost  set  of  leaves  at  its 
base  which  rests  on  the  receptacle  or  end  of  the  flower-stalk  and  usually 
encloses  the  corolla  and  organs  of  reproduction.  When  divided  to  the  base 
the  leaves  of  the  calyx  are  called  Sepals.  It  then  may  further  be  de- 
scribed as  being  Polysepalous. 


WA  eel-sh  aped. 
FIG.  39. 


Tubular. 
FIG.  42. 


Strap  or  Ray  Flo%ver. 
FIG.  43. 


Should,  however,  the  sepals  be  wholly  or  partly  grown  together,  the  calyx 
would  be  called  Gamosepalous. 

The  Corolla  is  the  usually  showy  and  inner  set  of  leaves  of  a  flower.  Its 
separate  leaves— that  is,  when  they  are  divided  to  the  base — are  called  Petals, 
and  the  corolla  would  then  be  termed  Polypetalous. 

When  it  is  wholly  or  partly  grown  together  it  is  known  as  being 
Gamopetalous. 

Both  the  calyx  and  corolla  are  described  as  Parted  when  their  parts  are 
divided  to  nearly  the  base  ;  Cleft,  or  Lobed,  when  divided  to  about  the 
middle  ;  and  Toothed  when  the  lobes  are  very  small. 

Under  Gamopetalous  Corollas  some  of  the  different  forms  are  best 
described  as  being : 

Salver-Shaped :  when  the  border  spreads  out  flatly  and  at  right  angles  to 
the  summit  of  the  tube.     (FiG.  38.) 


xxvm 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS. 


Wheel-Shaped  :  when  the  tube  is  very  short  and  the  border  spreads  out 
in  a  way  suggestive  of  the  divergent  spol^es  of  a  wheel.     (FiG,  39.) 

Campanulate,  or  Bell-Shaped,  when  towards  the  summit  the  tube 
gradually  expands  and  the  border  is  inconspicuous.     (FiG.  40.) 

Funnel-Form :  when  a  narrow  tube  spreads  graduallv  to  a  wide  border. 
(Fig.  41.) 

Tubular:  when  the  tube  is  long,  narrow  and  widens  but  little  towards 
the  summit.     (FiG.  42.) 


Fu  n  n  el-sh  aped. 
FIG.  41. 


Ligulate  :  when  strap-shaped,  as  in  the  dandelion.     (FiG.  43.) 

Labiate  :  when  the  corolla  is  so  divided  as  to  form  two  parts,  or  lips.  In 
such  instances  usually  two  petals  have  united  to  form  the  upper  lip,  while 
the  three  other  petals  have  formed  the  lower  lip.  These  two  are  then 
described  separately  according  to  their  peculiarities.     (FiG.  44.) 

Under  Polypetalous  Corollas  we  find  these  named  : 

Rosaceous :  when  the  petals  are  without  claws  and  quite  distinct,  as  in 
the  rose. 

Cruciferous  :  when  there  are  four  petals  raised  on  claws  and  spread  out 
in  the  form  of  a  cross.     (Fig.  45.) 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS. 


XXIX 


Papilionaceous  :  when  the  parts  are  so  divided  as  to  show  a  large  upper 
petal  as  the  Standard,  or  Banner;  the  two  side  petals  as  wings  ;  and  when 
the  two  anterior  petals  are  united  into  a  shape  resembling  the  prow  of  a 
boat  and  which  encloses  the  organs  of  reproduction.     (Fig.  46.) 

Sometimes  it  happens  that  only  one  set  of  floral  leaves  is  present,  which 
then  is  regarded  as  the  calyx.  The  term  Perianth,  while  sometimes 
employed  collectively  to  designate  the  organs  of  protection,  is  mostly  used 
in  such  cases  as  when  the  calyx  and  corolla  are  not  distinguishable  the  one 
from  the  other.     Members  of  the  lily  family  have  perianths. 

The  Stamens  of  a  flower  are  composed  of  Filaments,  or  the  Stalks  which 
uphold  the  Anthers,  and  the  Anthers  themselves.  These  latter  are  tiny 
two-celled  boxes  which  contain  the  Pollen,  the  fertilizing  dust  and  the  impor- 
tant product  of  the  stamens.     (FiG.  47.) 


<-n 


Labiate^ 
FIG.  44. 


Cruciferous. 
FIG.  45. 


Parts  0/ Stamen. 
FIG.  47. 


Exserted  Stamens  are  those  which  protrude  beyond  the  corolla. 

Included  Stamens  are  those  entirely  within  the  corolla. 

Monodelphous  Stamens  are  those  which  by  their  filaments  are  united. 

The  Pistil,  or  Seed-bearing  Organ,  is  composed  of  three  parts ;  the 
Ovary,  the  Style  and  the  Stigma.      (FiG.  48.) 

The  Ovary  is  the  lower  and  enlarged  part,  which  contains  the  ovules  or 
undeveloped  seeds. 

The  Style  is  the  slender  stalk  projected  by  the  ovary. 

The  Stigma  is  the  variously  formed  body  which  terminates  the  style. 
Unlike  all  other  parts  of  the  plant  it  is  not  covered  with  an  epidermis,  but  is 


XXX 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS. 


moist  and  rough,  that  it  may  better  retain  the  pollen  that  falls  on  its  sur- 
face. 

After  such  pollen  grains  have  touched  the  stigma  they  send  forth  from 
their  under  surfaces  minute  tubes,  which  pierce  through  the  style  until  an 
ovule-  in  the  ovary  below  is  reached  and  quickened  into  life.  This  process 
is  known  as  that  of  Fertilization. 

Cross-Fertilization  takes  place  when  the  stigma  of  one  flower  receives 
through  some  extraneous  agency,  such  as  animal  life  or  the  wind,  the  pollen 
from  a  stamen  in  another  than  its  own  flower-cup. 

Self-Fertilization,  on  the  contrary,  is  when  the  stigma  receives  the  pollen 


5TIGMA 


5TYLE 


OVARY 


Parts  of  Pistil. 
FIG.  48. 


Capsule. 
FIG.  50. 


from  a  stamen  borne  in  the  same  cup  as  itself.  In  general  this  is  not 
regarded  as  being  as  beneficial  as  when  cross-fertilization  takes  place,  and  to 
prevent  its  occurrence  flowers  are  often  most  curiously  constructed. 

The  Ovary  is  that  part  of  the  pistil  which  enlarges  into  the  fruit,  or  seed 
vessel,  and  the  ovules  then  grow  into  seeds. 

A  Carpel  is  a  part  of  a  compound  ovary. 

Fleshy  Fruits  are  such  as  berries,  wherein  the  ovary  has  become  pulpy, 
or  fleshy. 

A  Pome  is  another  sort  of  fleshy  fruit.  It  shows  the  calyx-tube  as 
adherent  to  the  ovary  and  forming  the  greater  part  of  the  fruit.  Apples  are 
familiar  pomes. 

Stone  Fruits  are  those  w^hich  are  partly  hard  and  partly  fleshy. 

A  Drupe,  such  as  a  peach,  or  cherry,  is  a  stone  fruit.  The  outer  part  of 
the  ovary  has  in  ripening  become  soft  like  a  berry,  while  the  inner  part  has 
hardened. 

Dry  Fruits  are  those  wherein  the  seed  vessel  hardens,  remains  herbaceous, 
or  else  is  membranous  in  texture. 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS.  xxxi 

Nuts  are  dry,  usually  one-seeded  fruits,  and  are  held  by  such  varied 
involucres  as  a  chestnut  burr  or  an  acorn  cup. 

A  Samara,  or   Key-Fruit,  is  furnished  with  a  membranous  wing.     (Fig. 

49-) 

An  Achene  is  a  one-seeded  fruit  which  does  not  open. 

A  Capsule,  or  Pod,  is  a  dry  but  many-seeded  fruit  which  when  ripe  opens 
in  one  piece  and  scatters  its  seeds.     (Fig.  50.) 

A  Legume  is  a  simple  pod,  which  when  ripe,  however,  opens  in  two 
pieces.     (FiG.  51.) 

A  Cone,  or  Strobile,  is  made  up  of  a  number  of  flat  bracts  which  subtend 
pistils,  and  so  overlap  each  other  as  to  form  a  thick  spike,  or  head. 

Seeds,  or  the  ripened  ovules,  contain  within  themselves  the  miniature  and 
rudimentary  plantlet  known  as  the  Embryo. 

The  Hypocotyl  is  the  stemlet  of  the  embryo,  and  from  the  base  of  which 
grows  downward  the  root. 

The  Cotyledons,  or  Seed  Leaves,  are  the  first  ones  which  a  plant  pro- 
duces, and  often  are  completely  formed  in  the  embryo.  It  is  in  accordance 
also  with  the  number  of  these  first  leaves  that  plants  are  termed,  should 
there  be  but  one,  Monocotyledonous ;  when  there  are  two,  Dicotyledonous, 
and  Polycotyledonous  when,  as  in  the  pine  family,  there  are  many  seed 
leaves. 


THE  CYCAS  FAMILY. 

CycaddcccE. 

A  small  group  of  trees  or  shrubs,  represented  in  t/ie  United  States  by 
two  species  of  tJie  genus  Zainia,  having  si/nple  trunks,  and  their  growth 
continued  by  means  of  a  terminal  bud.  Leaves  :  pifinately  divided,  coiled 
in  the  bud.  Flowers  :  dio'cious,  destitute  of  either  j:alyx  or  corolla,  the 
ovules  of  the  fertile  ones  being  borne  without  ovaries. 

COONTIE.     WILD  SAGO. 

Zdtnia  piimila. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Cycas.  Spieading.  Low.  Florida.  J^l<i-y^  J^'i''- 

Leaves  ;  from  a  short  trunk,  the  long,  grooved  petioles  covered  with  a  red- 
dish scurf.  Leaflets  :  numerous,  about  five  inches  long,  lanceolate  cr  linear-lance- 
olate ;  sessile;  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex  ;  parallel-veined  ;  glabrous,  or  slightly 
pubescent  on  the  under  side  ;  usually  entire.  Floivers  :  growing  in  cone-like 
aments.     Seeds  ;  drupe-like  ;  oval  or  rounded. 

A  familiar  sight  in  the  wet,  otitlying  grounds  of  sotithern  Florida  is 
this  plant,  where  it  occurs  as  a  low  and  spreading  shrub.  In  its  buds  the 
great  leaves  are  coiled  in  much  the  same  way  as  are  those  of  ferns  and  very 
gracefully  they  unfold  while  spreading  their  slender  leaflets.  By  means  of 
a  terminal  bud  the  plant  continues  its  growth,  and  in  the  young  plantlet 
it  is  interesting  to  notice  that  there  are  two  cotyledons,  while  the  hypercotyl 
ends  in  a  spiral  cord.  More  simple  in  construction  even  is  this  genus  than 
the  great  one  of  the  pines  ;  the  little  ovules  also  being  naked  and  fertil- 
ized directly  by  the  fall  of  the  pollen. 

Besides  thoughts  of  beauty  in  its  embellishment  of  the  landscape  there 
are  serious  interests  of  commerce  associated  with  "  Coontie,"  as  it  is  mostly 
called  by  the  people.  Abounding  in  its  stem  is  starch,  and  the  arrowroot 
of  Florida  which  is  produced  from  it  has  attained  considerable  renown.  Un- 
til about  fifteen  years  ago  this  industry  was  controlled  by  the  Seminole 
Indians  who  throtigh  the  sales  of  arrowroot  made  quite  a  satisfactory  rev- 
enue in  what  they  termed  silver  money.  The  puddings  in  which  it  is  used 
are  very  good,  being  somewhat  similar  to  those  of  cornstarch. 


2  THE  PINE  FAMILY. 

THE  PINE  FAMILY. 

Pindce<^, 

A    large  group  of  resinous   trees  or  shrubs  7inth  evergreen  or  non- 
evergreen  leaves  which^  in  outline^  are  mostly  needle-shaped  or  scale-like.  \ 
Stamens  a  few  together^  subtended  by  a  bract  or  scale.      Ovules  several^ 
or  solitary^  borne  on  the  surface  of  a  scale  and  generally  subtended  by  a\ 
bract.     Calyx  and  corolla^  nojie.     Fruit :  a  cone  with  several  or  many, 
either  woody  or  fleshy  scales^  or  sometimes  a  drupe. 

YELLOW  PINE.     SHORT=LEAVED  PINE.     SCRUB  PINE. 
BULL  PINE. 

Pinus  echinata. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pine.  Pyramidal :  brancJies  40-120  Texas  ntid  Florida  May^June. 

regular^  spreading.  feet.  to  Staten  Island. 

Bark:  greyish  brown  ;  rough;  .much  broken  into  plates.  BrancJilets :  green  or 
purplish;  stout;  glaucous  when  young.  Leaves:  three  to  five  inches  long  ;  dark 
bluish  green  ;  simple  ;  growing  closely  along  the  branches  in  bunches  of  two,  or 
sometimes  three  and  occasionally  four  on  the  young  shoots,  and  having  sheaths  at 
their  bases  ;  diverging  widely  at  maturity  ;  needle-shaped  ;  slender;  dark  green,  and 
rounded  on  the  outer  side,  hollowed  on  the  inner  one;  evergreen.  Cones :  one  and 
a  half  to  two  and  a  half  inches  long  ;  ovate  ;  clustered  or  solitary  and  lateral  ;  be- 
coming rough  and  jagged  as  they  grow  older.  Scales  :  thick  at  the  apex,  and  tipped 
with  a  weak,  projectmg  prickle  which  often  falls  early. 

Through  the  south,  from  the  mountains  to  the  coast-line,  there  is  seen  an 
abundance  of  this  fine,  sturdy  pine  which  here,  as  in  the  middle  states,  is 
known  to  the  people  as  "our  yellow  pine."  Even  although  often  pro- 
nounced "  yaller  "  the  name  is  still  a  more  appropriate  one  than  that  of 
•'  short-leaved  pine,"  as  it  is  also  called  ;  for,  in  the  south,  other  species  oc- 
cur with  leaves  quite  as  short.  The  tree  is  but  moderately  resinous.  In  a 
light,  clayey  soil  it  thrives  best,  its  timber  becoming  very  coarse  when  sub- 
jected to  an  extremely  fertile  mould. 

P.  glabra,  Walter's  pine,  or  spruce  pine,  is  very  local  in  its  habit  and 
seldom  found  growing  over  fifty  miles  away  from  salt  water.  It  favours 
swamps  and  hummocks  from  South  Carolina  to  the  Gulf  region  of  Louisi- 
ana, or  grows  in  dense  woods  often  with  magnolias,  the  yellow  pine  and 
beeches.  More  compact  than  any  other  of  the  Atlantic  pines  is  its  oval- 
shaped  crown,  and  its  growth  is  rapid  and  steady.  Its  leaves  are  borne, 
two  in  a  bunch,  along  the  branches.  They  are  smooth,  deeply  channelled 
above  and  rounded  on  the  under  sides.     In  length  they  average  about  three 


THE  PINE  FAMILY. 


inches  long.     The    young    cones,    which    grow 
singly  or  in  clusters  of  two  or  three,  are  slender, 
pyramidal,  and  somewhat  tinted  with  red.    When 
mature  they  measure  about  two 
inches    long    and    have     narrow 
rounded  scales  which  open 
at  their  apices  and  project 
an     early-falling     bristle. 
P.    claiisa,     spruce    or 
sand  pine,  as  it  is  locally 
called,    inhabits  the  coast 
and  central  part  of  Florida 
and  may  be  known  by  its 
fine,  flexible  leaves  which 
also  grow  in  groups  of  two. 
It  is    there    found    much^ 
branched  from  its  base  and 
growing     to     about     the 
height  of  thirty  feet.     Its 
specific  name  refers  to  the 
fact  that  its  very  interest- 
ing   cones     have     closed 
scales,  or   those  which 

rarely  open.  In  outline  they  are  conical  and  vary  in  colour  from  silvery 
grey  to  dull  red.  As  they  refuse  to  open  or  fall  the  gradual  growth  of  the 
tree  surrounds  them  until  they  are  quite  buried  within  the  trunk  and 
branches.  We  think  naturally  of  the  cones'  object  in  life  being  to  guard 
the  young  seed  until  it  is  developed  and  mature  enough  to  make  its  own  way 
in  the  world,  and  then  to  open  and  foster  its  escape  ;  it  is  therefore  a  matter 
of  wonder  just  why  this  species  so  often  falls  short  in  accomplishing  the 
act  to  which  all  its  former  deeds  have  been  directed. 


PRICKLY  PINE,  HICKORY  PINE,  TABLE=MOUNTAIN  PINE. 


Pinus  pii7igens. 


HEIGHT 


feet. 
old,  rough    and 


RANGE 

In  Alleghnnies 
Pa.  to  Ga. 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Ma  Y. 


FAMILY  SHAPE 

Pine.         Head  :  narrotu^  branches  . 
short,  ascending. 

Bark:  reddish  brown;  when  old,  rough  and  broken  into  ])late-like  scales. 
Leaves :  dark  bluish  green  ;  two  to  four  inches  long  ;  simple  ;  growing  closely  along 
the  branches  in  bunches  of  two  or  sometimes  three,  and  having  sheaths  at  their 
bases;  needle-shaped,  the  outer  side  round  and  smooth,  the  inner  side  grooved; 
stiff.  Statnitiate  floivers :  growing  in  a  dense  spike  near  the  bnse  of  the  season's 
shoots.     Pistillate  ones  :    clustered  on  the  twigs  of  the  preceding  year.     Cones : 


4  THE  PINE  FAMILY. 

pale  ;  reddish  brown  ;  three  to  four  inches  long  ;  oblong  or  ovate  ;  sessile,  and  fre- 
quently growing  in  clusters  of  four,  or  more  ;  very  heavy.  Sca/es  :  woody,  with  a 
stout,  hooked  spine. 

To  watch  the  development  of  the  young  leaves  of  Pinus  pungens  when 
they  begin  to  burst  from  their  embracing  bud  scales,  which  finally  unite 
about  their  bases  and  serve  them  as  sheaths,  is  a  pretty  sight.  They  are 
then  a  tender,  sunny  green.  Another  of  the  tree's  points  of  beauty  is  its 
cones  which  hang  in  clusters  and  in  succession  are  persistent  for  a  number 
of  years  ;  showing,  therefore,  on  the  tree  the  various  stages  of  their  growth. 
These  cones  are  also  unusually  heavy  and  project  the  sharpest  and  stoutest 
spines  of  the  South  Atlantic  species. 

The  name  table-mountain  or  prickly  pine  has  been  associated  with  the 
tree  for  many  years,  and  the  country  people,  many  of  whom  do  not  at  all 
distinguish  between  the  different  species  of  pines,  at  one  time  thought  it  to 
be  an  exclusive  inhabitant  of  flat-topped  mountains. 

P.  Virginiana,  Jersey  pine,  is  very  often  mistaken,  through  the  south, 
for  Pinus  echinata,  and  bears  without  distinction  the  common  name  of 
short-leaved  pine.  This  is  rather  unfortunate,  as  in  such  an  event  con- 
fusion must  necessarily  arise.  It  were  better,  it  would  seem,  to  separate  the 
two  individuals,  by  associating  this  tree  simply  with  its  more  local  title,  as 
New  Jersey  is  but  little  south  of  the  northern  limit  of  its  range  and  it  there 
grows  abundantly.  The  tree  presents  an  irregular  growth  which,  with  its 
short,  stubby  leaves  in  bunches  of  two,  aids  greatly  in  its  identification. 
Commercially,  it  is  usually  too  small  to  be  of  much  value  and  it  has  besides 
an  undesirable  amount  of  sap  wood. 

P.  rigida,  pitch  pine,  before  it  became  supplanted  by  the  richer  pines 
of  the  south,  was  greatly  valued  for  the  large  amount  of  pitch  contained  in 
its  wood  and  for  its  free  produce  of  tar  and  turpentine.  It  is  usually  resin- 
ous, very  desirable  for  fuel,  and  is  frequently  made  into  charcoal.  In  ap- 
pearance it  is  irregular  and  rough,  quite  awkward,  in  fact,  as  are  many  of 
the  pitch  pines,  while  its  branches  are  crowded  on  the  trunk.  This  makes 
its  timber  very  knotty.  It  is  also  coarse.  The  tree  forms  a  great  part  of 
"  the  pines  "  of  New  Jersey  and  covers  considerable  tracts  of  land  along 
the  New  England  coast.  From  New  Brunswick  it  extends  to  Virginia  and 
Kentucky,  and  is  found  in  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee. 
Its  leaves,  which  are  from  three  to  six  inches  long,  grow  three  in  a  bunch 
and  have  short  sheaths  at  their  bases.  On  their  surfaces  they  are  almost 
miperceptibly  marked  with  white  dots.  The  cones  grow  in  clusters  of  from 
two  to  four  and  their  scales  at  the  apices  are  thickened  and  tipped  with 
a  recurved  and  stiff  prickle. 

P.  heterophylla^  Cuban  or  ElUott's  pine,  is  found  in  low  ground  near  the 


PLATE   I.     PINES  ON  THE   ROAD  TO  HIGHLANDS,  N.   C, 


As  we  made  our  way  up  this  steep  trail  the  sun  ceased  to 
shine.  It  rained  furiously.  On  every  side  of  us  it  struck, 
drenching  our  faces  until  ive  7vere  unable  to  see.  In  the 
early  morning  the  thermojueter  had  been  at  ninety  degrees^  but 
here  the  hail,  as  large  as  good  sized  marbles  fell  about  us 
abundantly.  Our  charioteer.,  marking  off  about  ten  inches  on 
his  whip,  said:  ^^  like  enough  'twill  fall  so  deep.''  It  was 
then  two  d clock  in  the  day,  and  the  same  chill  and  uncompromis- 
ing darkness  prevailed  as  is  felt  at  night.  Tall  pijies  loomed 
up  before  us  as  black  pyramids.  Only  when  the  shadows  lifted 
could  we  see  thef?i  clearly. 


THE  PINE  FAMILY.  5 

coast  and  extends  from  South  Carolina  and  Florida  to  Louisiana.  Its 
leaves,  often  ten  or  twelve  inches  long-,  are  slightly  tile-like  along  their  mar- 
gins and  have  a  raised  ridge  on  their  undersides.  They  grow  in  bunches  of 
two  or  three.  The  cones  also  are  very  large  and  attractive  looking,  espe- 
cially when  they  widely  and  irregularly  open  their  scales.  These  are  long 
and  narrow  and  project  at  their  apices  a  recurved  point.  Also  at  their  tips 
they  are  a  rich  brown  and  so  glossy  as  to  give  the  appearance  of  having 
been  varnished.  Elliott's  pine  is  said  to  inhabit  the  Bahamas,  several  of 
the  islands  of  the  West  Indies  and  the  mountains  of  Central  America. 

P,  serd/ina,  pond  pine,  an  inhabitant  of  swamps  near  the  coast,  and 
which  occurs  from  Florida  to  North  Carolina,  bears  leaves  which  resemble 
somewhat  those  of  Pinus  heterophylla.  They  are,  however,  not  so  long 
and  of  a  more  yellow  tone  of  green.  Perhaps  in  general  appearances  the 
tree  most  closely  suggests  Pinus  rigida,  that  is,  if  one  puts  aside  the  fact 
that  the  branches  of  the  latter  are  very  crowded.  The  cones  of  Pinus 
serotina,  which  grow  in  clusters  about  the  branches,  are  seldom  over  two 
and  a  half  inches  long.  In  their  early  days  they  are  pyramidal  in  outline, 
but  at  maturity  when  their  long  narrow  scales  have  opened  widely  they  are 
almost  as  broad  as  they  are  long,  and  have  then  quite  a  squatty  look.  They 
are  not,  however,  devoid  of  charm  for  they  are  covered  with  a  silvery  sheen. 
Their  prickles  are  short  and  fragile. 

LONQ=LEAVED  PINE,  SOUTHERN  YELLOW  PINE, 
GEORGIA  PINE. 

PiuKS  palustris. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

I'tne. 

Head  rounds  open  ; 

70-80-120 

North  Carolina  south- 

March.,  Aj>ril. 

trunk  slender. 

feet. 

ivard  to  Texas. 

Bark:  orange-brown,  separating  into  thin  scaly  plates.  Leaves:  ten  to  fifteen 
inches  long;  dark  bluish  green  ;  growing  closely  in  bunches  of  three,  and  forming 
tliick  tufts  at  the  ends  of  the  branches  ;  sheaths  from  one  to  one  and  a  quarter 
inches  long;  slender;  flexible.  Cones:  six  to  ten  inches  long;  light  brown  ; 
cylindrical.  Scales  :  thick,  with  small,  blunt  spines  at  their  ends,  and  at  maturity 
spreading  at  right  angles  to  the  axis. 

This  remarkable  tree  of  the  lower  district  is  well  known  throughout  its 
localit\^  Indeed,  its  beauty  when  young,  and  the  horizontal  spread  of  its 
great  branches,  would  make  it  a  notable  figure  in  any  landscape.  Its  very 
long  leaves  also,  tufted  as  they  are  at  the  ends  of  the  branches,  produce  a 
soft  plume-like  and  startling  effect  when  stirred  by  a  strong  breeze.  Every 
year  an  abundance  of  these  leaves  is  shed  by  the  tree  and  from  their  fibre  a 
certain  sort  of  matting  is  made  as  well  as  a  material  for  bags  which  are 
used  to  cover  cotton  bales.     In  fact,  the  fibre  of   these  pine   needles  is  in 


6  THE  PINE  FAMILY. 

some  places  known  as  an  excellent  disinfectant  and  native  surgeons  make 
use  of  it  when  dressing  wounds.  And  in  the  field  of  vital  usefulness  this 
tree  is  more  prominent  than  any  other  one  of  the  pitch  pines,  as  it  is  also 
the  most  beautiful.  There  is  very  little  sap-wood  in  its  timber  and  the  re- 
sinous matter  is  well  distributed.  Besides,  therefore,  having  its  timber 
used  for  various  constructions,  it  supplies  the  greater  part  of  our  turpentine, 
tar  and  pitch.  The  tree  is,  however,  greatly  effected  by  the  quality  of  the 
soil  in  which  it  grows  and  becomes,  in  very  rich  mould,  considerably  less 
resinous. 

In  passing  along  on  the  railway  from  North  Carolina  to  Florida,  acres 
and  acres  are  to  be  seen  covered  with  this  tree.  But  there  the  greater 
number  of  individuals  have  lost  their  beauty  through  the  process  of  boxing, 
which  is  employed  to  obtain  their  products,  and  often  but  a  tuft  of  green  at 
their  summits  proclaims  that  they  are  still  alive.  A  melancholy,  solemn  air 
pervades  these  gaunt  creatures  so  mercilessly  given  over  to  commerce. 
It  is  only  lightened  by  the  beauty  of  many  soft  young  ones  cropping  up 
through  their  midst. 

P.  TcBda,  old  field,  or  loblolly  pine,  grows  up,  as  one  of  its  common 
names  implies,  in  old  fields  and  clearings  and  although  it  affords  considerable 
turpentine  it  is  not  much  worked.  The  wood,  on  account  of  its  coarse 
grain,  is  usually  sawed  into  large  pieces.  From  Texas  and  Florida  it  occurs, 
in  dry  or  moist  soil,  northeastward  to  New  Jersey  and  is  very  common  in 
North  Carolina.  It  is  a  large,  rugged  tree,  often  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
high,  and  bears  its  leaves,  which  are  from  six  to  eight  inches  long,  in  groups 
of  three.  They  are  tine  and  flexible  and  highly  coloured.  The  young  cones 
when  growing  at  the  base  of  the  new  growth  look  as  though  their  scales 
were  unevenly  set  and  very  sharp-pointed.  In  fact,  as  long  as  they  remain 
closed  they  present  something  of  this  appearance.  But  when  the  scales  are 
let  widely  loose,  that  the  seeds  may  escape,  they  are  extremely  pretty  and 
are  tipped  with  a  soft  fawn  colour.  By  many  this  tree  is  known  as  the 
frankincense  pine,  and  when  growing  in  swampy  ground,  the  North  Car- 
olina woodsmen  call  it  rosemary  pine. 

P.  Strobus,  white  pine  or  Weymouth  pine,  a  marked  and  well  known 
figure  among  our  silva,  can  be  distinguished  from  the  often  grotesque 
pitch  pines  by  the  graceful  growth  of  its  great  whorled  branches  ;  the 
smooth  bark  clothing  the  young  trunks ;  and  by  the  fact  that  its  leaves,  with 
their  soft,  silky  sheen,  grow  five  in  a  group.  They  are  three-sided  and 
quite  rough  along  their  margins.  This  white  bloom  which  covers  their  un- 
der surfaces  produces  as  they  are  waved  upward  by  the  wind  swift  and  en- 
chanting changes  of  light  against  masses  of  bluish  green.  The  resinous 
cones  are  slender,  cylindrical  and  slightly  curved.     Their  scales  are  thin, 


\ 


THE  PINE  FAMILY.  7 

broad  and  rounded  at  their  apices.     Undoubtedly  the  tree  is  among  our 
most  beautiful  ones  and  is  well  known  from  Georgia  to  Manitoba. 

In  1705  it  was  planted  by  Lord  Weymouth  on  his  grounds  at  Chelsea,  in 
England,  and  soon  became  known  under  his  name  as  one  of  the  first 
American  trees  which  throve  well  in  Europe,  although  there  a  good  deal  of 
damage  is  wreaked  upon  its  young  leaves  and  bark  by  the  nibbling  of  deer. 
Throughout  New  England  and  Canada  its  timber  is  largely  used  for  various 
purposes,  but  in  those  localities,  as  in  Michigan  it  has  been,  through  the  un- 
remitigating  stride  of  the  axe,  considerably  exhausted.  New  tracts  of  it, 
however,  are  being  opened  up  southward.  In  Mitchell  County,  N.  C, 
and  extending  into  adjoining  territory,  there  has  lately  been  purchased  a 
tract  containing  210,000,000  feet,  the  largest  forest  of  this  noble  tree  in  the 
south.  The  contract  under  which  it  was  sold  demanded  that  the  land 
should  be  cleared  within  ten  years.     It  is  therefore  being  steadily  felled. 

One  day  when  near  enough  their  neighbourhood  for  the  people  to  be 
willing  to  relate  stories  concerning  these  trees,  Mrs.  Rowan  and  I  had  rather 
anamusingexperience.  Although  previously  warned  against  its  perversity 
and  danger  we  were  to  ride  from  Cranberry  to  Montezuma  on  the  little 
railway  originally  constructed  to  carry  out  the  lumber,  and  the  charter  of 
which  compelled  it  to  carry  a  passenger  coach.  We  had  so  determined  on 
account  of  the  superb  scenery  through  which  it  was  reputed  to  pass.  As 
best  we  could,  therefore,  having  come  on  from  Roan  mountain,  we  spent 
the  morning  at  Cranberry  waiting  for  the  train  to  be  ready.  It  was  to  start 
at  one  o'clock.  That  hour  then  found  us  in  our  places.  The  engine  gave 
its  farewell  salute.  We  were  fairly  off  and  had  run  up  to  a  high  ridge, 
when  the  train  stopped.  In  such  a  place  there  were  surely  no  passengers  to 
take  on,  nor  had  we  broken  down.  A  wire  had  simply  caught  us,  the 
conductor  explained,  stating  that  the  car  was  to  be  held  for  the  train  from 
Johnston  City  which  carried  the  all  powerful  person  of  the  road's  super- 
intendent. 

"  How  long  shall  we  be  detained  ?  ''we  asked  meekly. 

"W-aal,  till  'bout  five  or  six  o'clock,  providin'  she's  not  late,"  the  cor., 
ductor  answered. 

This  appalling  piece  of  information  and  the  prospect  of  sitting  in  that 
dismal  place  for  so  long  a  time  kindled  us  with  a  mighty  indignation. 

"  Can  nothing  be  done  ?  "  we  asked,  and  were  told  "  I  reckon  you-uns 
kin  sit  thar."' 

Leaving  the  train  with  the  languid  protestation  ringing  in  our  ears.  "  Ef 
y'll  believe  me,  you-uns  kin  go  down  thar,  but  'twon't  do  you'uns  no  good," 
we  made  as  quickly  as  possible  for  the  ticket  office.  Here,  fortunately,  sat 
a  man   of  sense,  who,  when  we   informed  him  that  the  train  should  go  on 


8  THE  PINE  FAMILY. 

even  if  we  had  to  push  it  ourselves,  realised  that  the  case  was  desperate. 
In  a  few  minutes  he  liad  telegraphed  to  the  superintendent  at  Johnston  City, 
taken  down  his  answer  and  turning  to  us  said,  not  without  a  shade  of  grace  : 
"  We've  got  that  train  to  go  on  for  you,  ladies." 

"  Let  us  take  the  word  back,"  1  said,  grasping  at  the  opportunity  for  re- 
venge on  the  conductor.  When  again  we  reached  the  ridge,  it  was  a  long, 
stiff  walk,  this  personage  with  the  passengers  sat  complacently  on  the  bank. 
Perhaps  they  thought  that  time  was  made  for  slaves. 

"  The  train  is  to  go  on,"  I  said,  handing  him  the  yellow  missive.  He  made 
an  effort,  opened  wide  his  eyes,  arose  and  shook  out  his  great  frame  as  he 
read  slowly  : 

"Have  Justice  run  to  Montezuma  and  return  for  me, 

(Signed)  Hamlin." 

"  That  'ere  means  to  go  on,"  he  said  with  deliberation.  "  I  obey's  orders." 
And  on  we  did  go.  Slowly  we  crept  over  the  high  trestle  work,  as  the  little 
engine  puffed  and  blew.  On  every  side  were  mountains  and  deep  gorges. 
It  was  a  wonderfully  beautiful  ride.    When  it  was  over  we  were  full  of  regret. 

BLACK  SPRUCE.  HE  BALSAM. 

Picea  Mariana. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pine.  Trunk  straight :  t,o-<^o-\oo  feet.         North  Carolina  March-June, 

branches  drooping.  to  Canada. 

Bark:  greyish  brown;  slightly  rough.  Branc/ilets:  greenish  wlien  young  and 
pubescent.  Leaves:  seldom  over  two-thirds  of  an  inch  long;  dark  l)lue-green  ; 
simple;  growing  thickly  all  along  and  on  every  side  of  the  brown  twigs;  needle- 
shaped  ;  four-sided;  curved  or  straight;  rigid.  Cones:  one-half  to  one  and  a  half 
inches  long;  rich  purple,  and  turning  later  to  reddish  brown  or  tan  colour;  ovate 
or  ovoid;  solitary,  and  drooping  near  the  ends  of  the  branches;  often  persistent 
for  many  years.  Scales:  rounded;  persistent;  thin,  with  entire  or  scalloped 
borders. 

It  is  a  strange  conceit  of  the  mountaineers  in  the  Alleghanies  to  call  this 
tree  the  "  He  Balsam,"  a  name  indiscriminately  applied  by  them  to  both  the 
black  spruce  and  the  red  spruce,  P.  riibens,  which  grows  in  southern 
Virginia.  And  thinking  perhaps  that  it  should  have  a  mate  of  their  choosing 
they  call  the  beautiful  silver  fir,  the  "  She  Balsam.''  The  spruces  bear, 
however,  on  the  same  tree  both  staminate  and  pistillate  flowers,  a  fact  per- 
haps not  appreciated  when  these  vernaculor  names  were  bestowed.  The 
general  name  of  "  Black  Spruce  "  is  in  reference  to  the  dark  green 
foliage  of  the  tree  which  in  certain  lights  appears  sombre  and  black.  The 
species  is  very  variable,  some  perplexing  forms  of  it  being  presented.  The 
slender  form  which  occurs  in  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia 
is  possibly  the  individual  that  Dr.  Chapman  calls,  in  his  Flora,  Picea  alba, 
the  Picea  Canadensis  of  later  botanists,  a  tree,  however,  which  is  not  known 


PLATE   II.     CAROLINA  HEMLOCK.     Tsiiga  CaroHuiana. 
(9) 


10  THE  PIxNE  FAMILY. 

in  the  South.  When  growing  in  the  open  Picea  Mariana  is  usually  an  im- 
posing spectacle,  especially  when  its  boughs  extend  to  the  ground.  In 
swamps  and  bogs,  or  other  moist  soil  it  is  found  while  it  attains  to  its  best 
development  in  high  altitudes.  In  the  northern  states  the  pale  red  timber  of 
the  black  spruce  is  used  in  ship  building.  Long  ago,  also,  the  Indians  taught 
the  Europeans  to  boil  the  young  twigs  with  honey  and  use  the  extract  in  a 
brew  which  produces  spruce  beer. 

CAROLINA  HEMLOCK.     {Plate  II) 
Tsiiga  Ca7'oliniana. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pine.  Pyraviidal.         ■20-^0  feet.  Virginia  to  northern  Georgia.  April,  iMay. 

Bark:  reddish,  or  grey;  scaly,  and  becoming  more  rough  and  furrowed  with 
age.  Twigs:  brownish,  or  grey;  pubescent;  lower  branches,  pendulous.  Leaves  : 
about  one  half  inch  long;  scattered  along  the  branchlets;  needle-shaped  with  tiny 
petioles;  blunt  at  the  apex,  flat,  grooved  on  the  upper  side,  entire,  glabrous  above 
and  covered  with  a  white  bloom  underneath;  persistent.  Cones  :  one  to  one  and 
a  half  inches  long;  solitary;  drooping  at,  or  near  the  ends  of  the  branchlets;  ovate- 
oblong.  Scales:  ovate,  rounded  at  the  apex,  widely  divergent.  Wings  :  long,  nar- 
row. 

Along  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains  in  groves  and  on  the  sides  of  the  steep 
ravines,  which  contribute  so  much  to  the  rugged  effect  of  their  unusual 
scenery,  there  is  found  not  infrequently  the  Carolina  hemlock.  At  Cassar's 
Head,  an  outlying  and  elevated  spur  in  Greenville  County,  S.  C,  I  first  saw 
it  growing.  It  appeared  a  most  beautiful  tree  with  so  full  and  brilliant  a 
spray  that  it  quickly  attracted  the  attention. 

T.  Ca7iadensis,  common  hemlock,  or  spruce  pine,  attains  in  the  moun- 
tain ravines  to  the  very  fulness  of  development.  Its  tall,  collumlar  trunk, 
sometimes  one  hundred  feet  high,  and  its  wide-spreading,  declined  branches 
produce  a  strong  and  light,  fern-like  effect  among  the  other  abundant  and 
heavier  foliage.  The  leaves  it  bears  are  smaller  than  those  of  the  preceding 
species,  as  are  also  the  scales  of  its  cones.  These  latter  do  not  diverge 
very  widely  when  the  seeds  are  ripe  and  anxious  to  effect  an  escape.  Both 
of  the  hemlocks  have  a  lithe,  fine  beauty,  but  as  this  one  grows  through 
the  Alleghanies,  it  attains  such  splendid  proportions  and  has  so  dignified  an 
air  that  it  appeared  to  me  to  be  quite  unrivalled  by  any  of  the  other  coniferous 
trees.  Its  frequent  companion  is  Magnolia  Fraseri.  Should,  however, 
two  hemlocks  of  equal  size  be  placed  together,  the  verdict  would  probably 
be  given  to  the  Carolina  one  as  being  the  more  beautiful. 

The  common  hemlock  appears  to  be  well  known  by  the  mountain  people 
who  take  some  pride  in  their  acquaintance  with  it.  They  ascribe  to  it  the 
merit  of  revealing  the  points  of  the  compass  by  leaning  always  its  top  to 
the  east.  Few  of  them  could  tell  me  anything  concerning  the  uses  of  its 
timber,  all  declaring  that  they  hadn't  "heard  on  anything."     Through  their 


?!-: 


PLATE   III.      SILVER   FIR.     .-lin-s  Fraseri. 

COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY  FREDERICK    A.    STOKES   COMPANY 
PRINTED   IN   AMERICA 


THE  PINE  FAMILV.  it 

region,  however,  it  is  true  that  the  trees,  although  remote  and  inaccessible, 
are  much  sought  by  lumbermen  and  tanners.  Their  timber  is  very  valuable, 
as  its  durability  is  great  and  it  has  a  strong  capacity  for  holding  nails.  For 
framing  and  in  various  constructions,  it  is  used,  and  tannin  abounds  in  the 
bark  in  considerable  quantities.  From  Nova  Scotia  and  Quebec  the  tree 
grows  also  westward  to  Wisconsin  and  southward  to  Georgia  and  Alabama. 
The  oil  of  hemlock  is  obtained  by  the  distillation  of  its  twigs. 


SHE  BALSAM,  SILVER  FIR.     FRASER'S  BALSAM  FIR. 

{Plate  III.) 
Abies  Fj-ase?-/. 


FAMILY  SHAPE 

Fine.  Pyramidal. 


HEIGHT  RANGE 

■y:>--]o  feet.  Vi^-ginia  to  North  Carolina 

and  Tennessee. 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 
May^June. 


Bark:  dark  brown ;  smooth  and  marked  horizontally  with  resinous  blisters. 
Leaves  :  slightly  over  one  half  inch  long;  scattered  thickly  along  the  iij^per  side  of 
the  branches;  linear,  blunt   at  the   apex,  flat,  grooved    through  the    middle   and 

^^.g^-:^  ^>i^  having  a   raised  ridge 

"-;=;>'  on     the     lower     side; 

..,-.  -  ^-'-  bright    green   and  lus- 

trous above ;  silvery  be- 
low because  covered 
w  i  t  h  a  bluish-white 
bloom;  fragrant;  ever- 
green. Cojtes  :  one  to 
one  and  a  half  inches 
long;  erect;  oblong, 
sessile,  their  scales 
broad  and  shorter  than 
the  inner  bracts  which 
^  are  toothed  at  their 
apices  and  project 
short,  reflexed  prickles. 

This  must  beautiful  of  the  firs  inhabits  only 
the  higher  mountains  of  the  Alleghanies,  sel- 
dom crowning  a  peak  that  has  not  an  altitude 
of  4,000  feet  above  the  sea  level.  "  She  Bal- 
sam "  it  is  called  by  the  mountaineers,  and  the 
extensive  forest  it  forms  in  proximity  to  the 
dark  masses  of  foliage  of  the  "  He  Balsam," 
Picea  Mariana,  has  probably  been  the  cause 
of  Mount  Mitchell  being  so  generally  known 
as  the  black  mountain.  When  glowing  with 
its  cones  in  the  autumn,  which  grow  often 
at  the  tops  of  the  trees,  it  is  a  most  attractive 
sight.  Surrounding  Roan's  fair  summit  as  a 
ring  and  at  the  elevation  where  other  abun- 


r.^f^ 


12  THE  PINE  FAMILY. 

dant  verdure  must  cease,  it,  with  the  rhododendrons,  forms  a  distinctive 
verdure.  Here  in  its  best  loved  haunt  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to  see  it  grow- 
ing. On  Grandfather  Mountain  we  found  it  not  nearly  so  abundant  nor 
did  it  so  crown  the  mountain  as  it  does  on  Roan,  perhaps  the  most  beautiful 
peak  of  the  Alleghany  chain.  At  a  little  station  called  Balsam  in  N.  C.  we 
saw  a  few  of  these  trees  which  had  been  planted,  but  with  that  exception 
their  home  is  on  the  very  high  mountains.  When  leaving  Roan  Mountain  I 
took  with  me  a  great  meal  bag  filled  with  the  foliage  of  this  fir,  as  I  wished 
for  a  pillow.  And  all  those  that  met  us  on  the  way  down,  when  seeing  it, 
called  out,  "  no  need  to  tell,  you'uns  hev'  bin  up  the  mountin." 

The  clear  and  thin  liquid,  balsam,  as  it  is  called,  which  exudes  from  the 
blisters  on  the  trunk  and  tips  of  the  branches,  is  regarded  as  useful  by  the 
natives  to  cure  cuts  and  sores,  their  natural  hardiness  aiding  them  to  stand 
up  under  its  severe  application.  They  also  use  the  wood  occasionally  for 
the  construction  of  their  cabins  and  gather  its  foliage  abundantly  for 
pillows.  From  the  ordinary  standpoint  of  commerce  it  is  not  thought  to  be 
very  valuable  and  in  any  case  its  remote  habitat  would  make  it  inaccessible. 

BALD  CYPRESS.     CYPRESS.     i^Plate  V.) 
TaxbdiiDH  distichum. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Pine.         Conical ;  branches         6o-\'^o  feet.         Mississippi  valley.,  Gulf  April, 

spreading^.  and  Coast  region  io  Delaware. 

Bark  :  reddish  brown  ;  fissured,  scaly  and  fibrous  in  age.  Branchlets  :  slender, 
distichously  forked.  Z^^^z/^j;  light  green  ;  simple;  growing  closely  in  two  ranks 
along  the  branches;  half  an  inch  long;  needle-shaped;  pointed;  also  occurring 
awl-shaped  and  overlapping  each  other;  deciduous.  FUnvers  :  nioncecious;  yel- 
lowish; appearing  some  time  before  the  leaves.  Stamitiate  floiuers  :  growing 
comjjactly  in  terminal,  drooping  panicled  s])ike.s.  Pistillate  ones:  growing  in 
small  clusters.  Co}ies  :  usually  less  than  one  inch  in  diameter;  light  brown  when 
ripe;  pendulous  at,  or  near  the  ends  of  the  branches;  globular;  the  several  angu- 
lar scales  forming  a  closed  ball  until  mature. 

By  Dr.  Charles  Mohr,  who  has  made  an  exhaustive  study  of  the  conifer- 
ous trees  of  America,  the  bald  cypress  is  regarded  as  being  the  most  won- 
derful individual  of  them  all  ;  and  considerably  over  a  hundred  years  ago 
Bartram  wrote  of  it  :  "  This  cypress  is  in  the  first  order  of  North  American 
trees.  Its  majestic  stature  is  surprising.  On  approaching  it  we  are  struck 
with  a  kind  of  awe  at  beholding  the  stateliness  of  its  trunk  lifting  its  cum- 
brous top  towards  the  sJ-:y  and  casting  a  wide  shadow  on  the  ground  as  a 
dark,  intervening  cloud,  which  from  time  to  time  excludes  the  rays  of  the 
sun.  The  delicacy  of  its  colour  and  the  texture  of  its  leaves  exceed  every- 
thing in  vegetation."  And  so  he  continues  to  speak  about  it  enthusiasti- 
cally.    Among  its  peculiarities  it    has  a  ready    means  of  adapting  itself  to 


Oil  Roan  Mountain,  t/ie  highest  human  habitation  east  of 
the  Rockies,  the  elouds  play  an  important  part  in  inaiis  exist- 
eiice.  JJWien  they  float  high  and  the  sky  is  e/ear,  he  has  a  smi/e 
for  every  one ;  Jie  regards  the  universe  as  a  limitless  expanse  of 
moulded  heights  upon  which  his  position  allows  him  to  gaze. 
But  when  they  take  his  home  for  their  resting  plaee,  and  en- 
shroud ajid  fall  far  below  the  mountain,  he  scowls  upon  them 
as  his  enemy.  They  limit  his  sphere  and  his  vision.  His 
other  enemy  is  the  snow.  About  Christmas  time  it  begins  to 
fall.  Then  he  must  retire  to  his  cabin,  taking  the  wood  for  his 
fireside  and  provisions  with  him  even  as  a  squirrel  carries  nuts 
to  his  hole.  Cut  off^  thus  from  all  communication  with  the  outer 
world,  he  has  still  one  green  and  fragrant  friend.  It  is  the 
beautiful  silver  fir. 

To  the  mountaineer  who  was  to  remain  in  the  Cloud  Land 
Hotel  over  the  winter,  I  said: 

"  Do  the  people  about  here  love  this  tree  ?  " 

^''  No,  Marm,"  he  answered. 

"  Do  they  love  the  flowers  /  "  /  then  asked. 

"'  No,  Mann,''  he  said. 

"  Do  they  use  any  of  the  plants  to  cure  illnesses  ?  "  f  per- 
sisted.    He  shook  his  head. 

*'  What  do  they  do  ?  "  Tasked. 

"  They  lets  ''em  come  and  go.''' 

(IV.) 


PLATE  V.     BALD  CYPRESS.     Tcixodium  distichinn, 
(13) 


14  THE  PINE   FAMILY. 

the  various  conditions  of  atmosphere  and  soil  under  which  it  grows.  Its 
foliage  is,  in  fact,  little  affected  by  dryness  or  an  excessive  amount  of  mois- 
ture, for  on  the  same  tree  different  forms  of  branches  and  foliage  will 
sometimes  be  found  to  exist,  and  these  are  capable  of  either  aiding  or  pre- 
venting the  escape  of  moisture.  There  are  on  the  distichously-spreading 
branchlets  leaves  which  are  linear-lanceolate  and  flat  and  which  favour 
the  escape  of  moisture.  While  on  the  very  fine,  pendulous  or  erect  branch- 
lets  there  are  tiny  closely-appressed  leaves  whose  mission  is  just  the 
reverse. 

The  much  discussed  feature  about  the  tree,  however,  is  the  way  in  which 
its  base  is  buttressed  by  great,  hollow  structures  which  spring  from  its 
roots  and  are  commonly  known  as  "  knees.''  When  the  tree  grows  in  water 
they  are  always  produced,  and  in  this  case  they  grow  high  enough  to 
emerge.  Sometimes  a  hundred  of  them  form  under  the  water  a  great 
labyrinth  which  only  becomes  apparent  when  the  swamp  is  drained.  Should 
the  tree  inhabit  moist  soil  they  are  less  conspicuous  and  often  when  it  occurs 
in  dry  soil  they  arise  not  at  all  above  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

In  the  long  ago,  St.  Pierre,  in  his  innocence,  put  forth  the  idea  that  these 
knees  were  especially  designed  to  protect  the  tree  against  icebergs.  But 
now  when  the  light  of  a  later  science  has  shone  upon  them,  it  is  thought 
that  they  serve  it  mechanically,  by  anchoring  it  with  a  herculean  grasp  in  an 
uncertain,  yielding  soil  and  by  aiding  it  to  resist  heavy  gales  and  storms. 
To  gain  even  greater  strength  they  often  wrap  themselves,  as  does  a  vine, 
about  other  forms  of  growth.  The  opinion  is  also  held  that  these  knees  are 
of  physiological  service  to  the  tree  in  acting  as  organs  of  aeration, — that  is  in 
facilitating  the  process  of  assimilation  and  thus  furthering  its  nutrition  and 
well  being.  As  a  land-builder  the  tree  is  one  of  the  greatest,  and  does  this 
service  through  a  part  of  the  country  where  swamps  and  long  moss  are  the 
principal  features  of  the  landscape.  Its  interlocked  roots  and  knees  give 
support  to  many  sub-aquatic  plants  which  are  anxious  to  grow  while  they, 
in  their  turn,  as  they  die  down  each  year,  add  deposits  of  dried  leaves  which 
contribute  in  bringing  the  marsh  to  the  level  of  other  land. 

In  Louisiana  and  the  Gulf  states  the  cypress  wood  is  sought  for  all  such 
purposes  as  interior  finish,  the  panellings  of  doors,  sashes,  and  for  the  large  j  | 
tanks  used  in  factories.  It  is  especially  desirable  for  the  making  of  shingles, 
which  are  said  to  last  upwards  of  forty  years.  By  lumbermen,  the  black, 
white,  red,  yellow  and  variegated  wood  is  recognised.  From  the  outward 
appearance  of  the  tree,  however,  it  is  impossible  to  tell  which  sort  it  will 
yield,  although  the  young  trees  nearly  always  produce  white  wood.  Formerly 
the  Indians  of  Mississippi  made  their  canoes  from  the  tree's  hollow  trunk. 


PLATE  VI.     SOUTHERN  WHITE  CEDAR.     Chamcccyparis  thyoides. 

(15) 


i6  THE  PINE  FAMILY. 

■« 

SOUTHERN  WHITE  CEDAR.     {Plate  VI.) 
Chamcecy Paris  tJiy aides. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Fine.         Spire-like ;  l>rtinckes         30-90 /tv^.  Florida  atid  M ississippi  Aprils  May. 

horizontal.  to  Maine. 

Bark  :  light  reddish  Ijrown  ;  very  fibrous  ;  separating  into  loose  scales.  Bramh- 
lets  :  brown  ;  their  thin  bark  also  separating.  Leaves  :  tiny  ;  simple  ;  ovate  and 
awl-shaped;  overlapping  each  other  like  scales  and  growing  closely  together  in 
rows  of  four,  up  and  down  the  branchlets.  Dull  brownish  or  blue-green  ;  glaucous. 
Floivers  :  monoecious,  growing  in  few  flowered  terminal  aments.  Cones  :  hardly 
one  half  an  inch  wide;  globose;  sessile  on  leafy  branches ;  purplish  at  maturity; 
glaucous,  and  opening  to\vards  the  centre  when  ripe,  not  towards  the  base.  Scales  : 
thick;  several-pointed  and  as  though  fastened  at  their  centres.  Seec/s:  one  or 
more  under  each  fertile  scale  ;  oval  ;  winged  at  the  sides. 

It  would  seem  as  though  among  non-botanists,  there  were  some  slight 
difficulty  extant  about  the  distinguishing  of  this  tree  from  the  arbor  vita^, 
the  two  are  so  often  mistaken,  the  one  for  the  other.  This  could  hardly 
be  said  of  the  careful  observer,  and  especially  when  the  fruits  of  the  trees  are 
beginning  to  mature.  That  of  our  plant  is  a  round,  drupe-like  cone,  bluish 
purple,  covered  densely  with  a  bloom  and  which  turns  at  maturity  to  dark, 
reddish  brown.  It  is  always  quite  different  in  shape  and  aspect  from  the 
ovate,  tan-coloured  product  of  the  arbor  vitas.  In  leafage  also  the  trees 
are  dissimilar,  the  branchlets  of  this  one  being  quite  without  the  peculiar 
flatness  which  characterises  the  other.  In  the  south,  our  tree  is  mostly 
hidden  away  in  swamps  where  its  life  is  best  known  and  of  the  most  import 
to  lumbermen. 

The  wood  of  Chamsecyparis  thyoides  is  valuable  and  adaptable  for 
many  purposes.  Its  aromatic,  pungent  odour,  among  other  things,  makes 
it  prized  by  the  people  for  buckets  or  casques,  as  the  water  they  hold  par- 
takes somewhat  of  its  flavour.  Oils  also  are  well  preserved  in  vessels 
made  of  this  wood.  From  the  young  stalks  a  considerable  amount  of  char- 
coal for  gun  powder  is  procured. 

ARBOR  VIT/E.     WHITE  CEDAR. 

Thiija  occidentalis. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pine.  Conical:  brandies         io-(i^feet.  Virginia  ami  JV.  Carolina         April,  May. 

pendulous.  to  Hudson  Bay. 

Bark:  greyish  brown;  tinged  with   orange  or  red,  and  separated  into  narrow, 
deciduous  strips.     Leaves:    simple;  o'pposite ;    blunt;  scale-like  and  overlajiping 
each  other  as  they  grow  closely  together  on  branchlets  that  are  very  flat.     Bright 
green;   aromatic;    especially  so  when    bruised.     LYowers :    monoecious,  terminal.. 
Cones:  tiny  ;  yellowish  brown  when  mature,  glaucous  when  young;  ovate;  nodding 


.THE  PINE  FAMILY.  17 

and  opening  to  the  base  when  ripe.     ScaL's  :   six  to  ten  ;  oblong  ;  without  points  ; 
smooth.     Scrc/s  :  one  or  two,  with  thin  broad  wings  notched  at  the  apex. 

While  always  a  tree  of  distinct  and  beautiful  habit,  the  arbor  vitie  does 
not  attain  in  the  south  the  ample  proportions,  nor  grow  as  abundantly,  as  it 
does  northward.  In  fact,  along  the  mountainous  streams  of  the  Alleghanies, 
where,  however,  it  is  only  found  at  high  elevations,  it  is  a  rather  small  tree. 
Perhaps  there  is  none  other  which  in  formal  gardening  has  been  so  great  a 
favourite,  and  as  a  result  of  its  constant  subjection  to  cultivation  many  ex- 
traordinary varieties  are  being  produced.  Besides  being  used  for  one  of  the 
most  compact  and  lively  coloured  hedges,  the  plant  is  sometimes  chosen  to 
cut  into  fantastic  shapes,  a  hideous  fashion,  which,  however,  calls  forth  a 
certain  amount  of  wonder,  especially  if,  as  one  I  recently  saw,  the  outline 
is  in  imitation  of  a  peacock. 

As  a  tree  necessary  to  everyday  welfare  the  arbor  vit^e  was  long  known 
to  the  Canadian  Indians  who  used  it  in  the  construction  of  their  canoes 
and  partly  made  their  baskets  from  its  thick  layers  of  sapwood.  The  wood 
is  fragrant  and  in  colour  a  pale,  yellowish  brown.  With  the  fresh  branches 
brooms  are  made  and  a  tincture  is  procured  from  the  young  growth  through 
a  process  known  to  the  "  yarb  doctors."  Another  of  its  benefits  is  its 
power  of  curing  warts. 


FLORIDA  PENCIL  CEDAR.     (F/a/e  VII.) 
Juniperus  barbadcnsis. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  .      RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pine.  Conic,  irregular  \^-\ofcet         Florida  to  Mississippi  Aftil,  May. 

when  old.  or  more.  and  Texas. 

Bark:  reddish  brown,  and  separating  into  long  shreds.  Inner  bark :  smooth, 
polished.  Branches:  greyish;  rather  smooth.  Leaves:  tiny;  simple  ;  opposite  ; 
sessile;  scale-like,  ovate,  ]K)inted  at  the  a])ex  and  overlapping  each  other  as  they 
grow  along  the  four-sided,  slender  branchlets  ;  evergreen.  F/owers  :  dioecious  ; 
growing  in  aments.  Cones  :  fleshy  ;  berry-like  ;  blue  ;  short  peduncled,  globular,  or 
slightly  ovate. 

It  has  now  been  finally  settled  by  American  botanists  after  a  long  strug- 
gle that  this  beautiful  plant  is  a  distinct  species  ;  most  text  books  having 
formerly  referred  it  to  the  red  cedar,  [ini/pt-nis  J^/ri^/;u\nia.  It  is  found 
usually  near  tlie  coast  and  is  extremely  attractive  when  its  misty  tinted, 
berry-like  cones  are  sprinkled  among  the  soft,  sage-green  of  its  foliage. 
They  are  somewhat  srnaller  and  inclined  to  be  more  ovate  than  the  fruit  of 
the  common  species.  The  little  branchlets  are  particularly  slender  and  pli- 
able. To  see  the  inflorescence  of  the  tree  a  magnifying  power  of  one 
hundred  degrees  is  required. 

For  a  long  time  the  wood  of  this  tree  has  been  held  in  the  highest  esteem 


i8  THE  PINE  FAMILY. 

for  making  pencils.  It  is  softer  and  finer  than  that  produced  by  other 
species  ;  but  so  nearly  exhausted  has  it  been  for  this  purpose  that  man- 
ufacturers now  have  to  content  themselves  with  the  still  steady  supply  of 
Juniperus  Virginiana. 

J.  Virginiana,  red  cedar,  or  savin,  has  perhaps  the  happiest  knack  of 
versatility  of  all  the  trees  and  occurs  in  various  forms  from  a  low  shrub  to 
a  tree,  often  one  hundred  feet  high.  Throughout  North  America  it  is  more 
widely  distributed  than  any  other  coniferous  one,  accommodating  itself 
readily  to  every  condition  of  soil.  In  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  on  the  lime- 
stone hills  it  forms  the  "  cedar  brakes,"  and  grows  also  luxuriously  in 
swamps  and  lowlands  of  the  Gulf  States.  In  general  appearance  its  leaves 
are  like  those  of  Juniperus  barbadensis.  They  are  ovate,  scale-like  and 
grow  opposite  in  pairs,  or  in  rows  along  the  slightly  four-sided  branchlets. 
Only  when  the  tree  is  very  young  are  these  leaves  needle-shaped  and  spread 
out  from  the  then  rounded  twigs.  During  the  winter  they  lose  their  bluish 
glaucous  look  and  become  considerably  darker.  The  drupes  sit  jauntily  on 
their  short  peduncle-like  branchlets  and  are  produced  very  abundantly. 
They  appear  to  be  a  soft,  pastel  shade  of  blue,  a  tint  occasioned  by  the 
bloom  with  which  they  are  covered. 

The  fragrant,  bright  red  wood  of  the  tree  is  valuable,  as  it  does  not 
decay,  and  is  much  used  for  closets  and  chests,  being  objectionable  to 
moths.  It  is,  however,  most  closely  associated  with  the  making  of  lead 
pencils.  In  fact,  it  is  a  matter  already  under  consideration  to  know  which 
tree  will  step  into  the  breach  when  its  abundant  supply  shall  have  been 
exhausted.  From  the  waste  material  which  occurs  in  making  these  pencils 
a  paper  is  manufactured.  It  is  used  under  carpets,  and  quite  as  extensively 
for  wrapping  up  furs,   for  its  pungent  odour  is  reputed  to  keep  out  moths. 

By  the  distillation  of  the  tree  tops  a  volatile  oil  is  obtained  known  as  that 
of  the  red  cedar. 

/.  nana,  low  juniper,  is  also  a  very  widely  distributed  shrub  of  the  United 
States  and  is  well  known  as  an  inhabitant  of  Europe.  Possibly  its  specific 
name  will  eventually  give  way  to  that  of  Sibirica,  an  earlier  publication,  when 
the  plants  are  better  represented  in  herbaria  from  their  extreme  ranges.  It 
is  at  best  a  low,  sprawling  shrub  frequenting  high  mountain  tops  in  the  south. 
Its  lanceolate-linear  leaves  grow  in  whorls  of  three  and  densely  clothe  the 
branchlets.  They  are  stout  and  rigid  and  as  sharply  pointed  as  needles. 
On  their  upper  sides  they  are  bright  green  and  glaucous  and  emit  when 
dried  a  strong  fragrance.  The  berry-like  cones  are  sessile  and  larger  than 
those  of  the  preceding  species.  There  is  something  very  invigourating  and 
fresh  in  the  aspect  of  this  plant,  especially  when  it  grows  in  its  irregular  way 
over  the  ground.     For  a  long  time  the  North  American  Indians  have  used 


PLATE  VII.     FLORIDA  PENCIL  CEDAR.    Jiinipcnis  barbadensis. 

(19) 


THE  PINE   FAMILY. 


it  and   the  common  juniper  medicinally,  and   it  is  still  a  prac 
tice  to  flavour  gin  with  its  sweet  aromatic  fruit. 

On  the  junipers  busy  little  basket  carriers  are  sometimes  seen 
constructing-  their  lodgements  for  the  winter  ;  these  they  skilfully 
devise  of  the  material  abundantly  at  hand. 


THE  YEW  FAMILY 


Ta. 


xacccE. 


Represented  in  our  range  by  two  species  of  evergreen  trees  or  shrubs 
with  linear  ieai'es,  dia'cious,  axillary  flowers^  and  driipe-iiJ^e.Jieshy  fruit. 


TORREY  TREE.     STINKING  CEDAR.      {PIa:e  VIII.) 
Tunnon    Taxifoliuni. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Yew. 

/>' 

pendulous. 

n/u's 

10-40  ylY/. 

U'cstfrn  Florida. 

March. 
Fruit:  S./'t. 

Bark:  l^rownish  ^[I'ey  and  tinged  with  orange;  rough.  IVood:  lemon-yellow, 
satiny.  Sap7uood:  lighter  coloured.  BraucJilets:  olive-green.  Leaves:  often  one 
and  a  half  inches  long;  growing  two-ranked  along  the  branches;  sessile,  or  with 
very  short  ])etioles;  linear;  sharply  and  rigidly  pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded  at 
the  base;  bright  olive-green  and  lustrous  above  and  having  parallel  grooves 
underneath  on  either  side  of  the  midvein;  resinous.  Staininate  flinvers :  growing 
along  the  branches  in  short  compact  clusters  and  having  bracts  at  their  bases. 
ri.'itillatc  fltnocrs:  few;  solitary,  nearly  sessile  and  at  the  base  covered  with  ini- 


PLATE  VUI.     TORREY-TREE.     Tuinwii  Taxijolium. 
(21) 


22  THE  YEW  FAMILY. 

bricated  scales.     Drupe:  a1)out  an  inch  and  a  quarter  long;  obovate;  purple,  witli 
edible,  oily  seed. 

An  old  settler  of  confirmed  habits  is  this  rare  tree  which  seems  to  cling,  as 
a  last  refuge,  to  the  dry,  calcareous  soil  of  western  Florida  in  the  region  of 
the  Chattahoochie  river.  Here  amid  a  llora  of  extreme  interest  it  may  be 
looked  upon  as  the  type  of  its  genus  ;  for  only  widely  apart  in  the  forests  of 
western  California  and  in  China  and  Japan  can  it  claim  any  connections. 
About  its  foliage  and  branches  there  is  an  aromatic,  foetid  odour  which  first 
caused  the  natives  to  christen  it  by  the  name  of  stinking  cedar  ;  but  since 
they  have  learned  to  associate  it  with  John  Torrey,  and  known  that  many 
eminent  men  have  travelled  to  so  distant  a  region  to  see  it,  their  respect  for 
it  has  increased  and  they  now  more  frequently  speak  of  it  as  the  Torrey-tree. 
Its  beautiful  wood  is  hard  and  strong,  much  desired  in  cabinet  work  and 
furnishes  for  fence  posts  an  indestructible  material. 

YEW. 

Tdxtis  Fhrtdana. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Yew.         Spreading,  bushy.         xo-2^  feet.  Western  Florida.      March,  April.    Fruit:  Oct. 

Bark:  purplish  brown,  smooth.  Leaves  :  one  half  to  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
long*  growing  along  the  l^ranches  and  spreading  as  though  two-ranked;  narrowly- 
linear,  short  petioled,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  narrowed  or  rounded  at  the  base; 
flat"  dark  green,  the  upper  side  lustrous  and  having  as  the  lower  side  a  raised 
ridge  running  through  the  middle;  thin,  persistent  in  drying,  not  resinous.  Stam- 
inate flo-ivers  :  growing  in  globose  clusters.  Pistillate  ones:  soWtdivy.  Fruit:  red, 
drupe  like  and  enclosing  one  seed. 

Growing  with  Tiimion  Taxifoliitm  in  its  restricted  district  is  also  found 
this  rare  tree  which  elsewhere  is  not  known.  In  connection  with  its  fruit  a 
curious  incident  may  be  of  interest.  Not  until  1895  ^'^'^  '^^  collected  in 
a  ripe  state,  and  then  it  was  only  done  through  the  persistence  of  Dr. 
Charles  Mohr.  Even  the  natives  had  never  noticed  that  the  tree  bore  fruit, 
although  this  is  not  altogether  unusual,  for  over  and  over  again  they  will  be 
found  to  be  indifferent  to  the  phenomena  about  them.  At  first  Dr.  Mohr 
examined  the  staminate  trees,  and  then  turning  to  one  that  was  pistillate 
was  well  nigh  discouraged  to  find  upon  a  superficial  glance  that  it  appeared 
to  be  equally  barren.  When  he  finally,  however,  lifted  up  the  branchlets, 
the  secret  was  revealed,  for  on  their  under  sides,  completely  hidden  from 
the  public  gaze  the  fruit  grew  in  relative  abundance. 


THE  WATER-PLANTAIN  FAMILY.  23 

THE  WATER  PLANTAIN  FAMILY. 

Alis7nacecE. 

Belonging  to  this  group  arc  mostly  tuater  plants  with  fibrous  roots 
and  scape-like,  smooth  stems.  7  heir  lo?ig  petioled  leaves  arise  from  the 
base  where  they  are  sheathed  about  the  scape.  The  flowers  are  perfect, 
monoecious  or  dioecious,  generally  S7nall  a  fid  produced  in  racemes  or  pan- 
icles. 

WATER  PLANTAIN. 

Alisma  plant ago-aqudtica. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Water-Plantain.         Rose-ivhite  or  white.         Scentiess.  General.  Jutte-Septeviber. 

Flowers:  small ;  numerous  ;  growing  loosely  in  a  whorled  panicle  on  a  scape 
from  six  inches  to  two  and  a  half  feet  high,  and  having  small,  linear  bracts  at  the 
bases  of  their  pedicels.  Calyx:  with  three  persistent  sepals.  Corolla  :  with  three 
deciduous  petals.  Stamens:  six.  /'/.f///j  ;  numerous,  in  a  single  whorl.  Leaves: 
long,  oval,  abruptly  pointed  at  the  apex  and  narrowed,  or  cordate  at  the  base  ;  en- 
tire ;  thin. 

Growing  in  mud  or  shallow  water,  this  tall  and  rather  unattractive  plant 
is  a  familiar  sight.  Its  leaves  closely  resemble  those  of  the  common  door- 
yard  plantain,  which  fact,  in  connection  with  its  loose  spray  of  tiny  flushed 
flowers,  makes  it  readily  recognised.  The  rhizomes  have  been  collected 
and  eaten  as  articles  of  food  by  a  number  of  tribes  of  North  American 
Indians. 

LANCE-LEAVED  5AGITTARIA.     {Plate  IX.) 

Sagittaria  lancifblia. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

IVater-piantain. 

IVhite. 

Faintly  fragrant. 

Texas  and  Florida 
to  Delaware. 

June-September. 

Flo7vers:  both  staminate  and  pistillate  ones  growing  in  whorls  of  three,  or  the 
top  ones  scattered,  and  borne  on  smooth,  erect  scapes,  at  times  three  feet  high,  the 
staminate  flowers  being  uppermost.  Pedicels:  slender,  smooth,  with  ovate  bracts 
at  their  bases.  Calyx:  with  three  ovate,  persistent  sepals.  Corolla:  with  three 
white,  rounded  and  early  falling  petals.  Stamens  :  numerous  on  the  convex  re- 
ceptacle ;  filaments,  pubescent,  with  a  cobweb-like  substance.  Pistils:  numerous. 
Achenes  :  forming  a  globose  head.  Leaves :  from  the  base,  lanceolate,  or  oblong- 
lanceolate  ;  ])ointed  at  both  ends  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  a  jietiole  sometimes 
two  and  a  half  or  three  feet  high;  parallel-veined,  entire,  glabrous, 


11  Uf/  .,f 

PLATE   IX.     LANCE-LEAVED  SAGITTARIA.     SagitUiiui  Jaiitifolia. 


THE  WATER-PLANTAIN  FAMILY.  25 

Often  we  saw  these  most  exquisite  blossoms  fairly  transforming  the  swamps 
along  the  St.  John's  River  into  white  masses  as  soft  and  fleecy  as  clouds. 
And  there  the  plants  grew  to  so  great  a  size  that  the  old  story  of  carrying  an 
axe  about  to  chop  down  the  southern  tlora  was  constantly  in  our  minds. 
Many  of  the  blossoms  were  fully  an  inch  and  a  half  across,  and  the  petals 
displayed,  as  tliey  unfolded,  a  daintily  crinkled  outline.  So  large  were  the 
leaves,  and  their  great  petiole  so  formidable  that  although  we  had  bent  the 
strength  of'  an  Amazon  to  taking  up  one  of  the  plants,  we  had  afterwards 
some  doubt  as  to  knowing  what  to  do  with  it.  Never  before  had  we  seen 
the  species  growing  to  such  a  size.  It  appeared  calm  and  upright,  placid 
even  beside  a  slumbering  alligator. 

Although  nowhere  very  common  these  water  plants  are  readily  known  by 
their  manner  of  growth  and  are  among  the  most  graceful  of  those  that  deck 
the  muddy  ditches  or  swamps. 

S.  longirostra,  long-beaked  arrow-head,  which  is  so  called  from  the  stout 
beak  which  terminates  the  achenes,  has  a  range  extending  from  Alabama  to 
Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey.  Its  sagittate  leaves  are  noticeably  broad, 
often  measuring  four  and  a  half  inches  or  more  across  their  widest  part. 
At  their  apices  they  are  rounded  to  an  abrupt  point  while  the  basal  lobes 
are  long  and  ovate-lanceolate  in  outline.  The  flowers  closely  resemble  those 
of  the  preceding  species.  There  is,  however,  no  cobweb-like  pubescence  on 
their  filaments. 

5.  hit  if  alia,  broad-leaved  arrow-head,  is  perhaps  the  most  generally  dis- 
tributed species  that  we  have,  and  is  mostly  a  gay  inhabitant  of  ditches.  It 
bears  sagittate  leaves,  very  variable,  however,  in  shape  and  size.  On  the 
receptacle  the  numerous  ovules  are  noticed  to  be  arranged  in  a  spiral  fashion. 

5.  pialypJijlla,  ovate-leaved  sagittaria,  inhabits  places  with  shallow  water 
from  Mississippi  and  Texas  to  southern  Missouri.  Its  leaves,  which  are 
generally  ovate,  occur  also  oblong  and  ovate-lanceolate  and  seldom  measure 
more  than  six  inches  in  length.     In  fruit,  the  fertile  pedicels  become  reflexed. 

5.  MoJu'ii  has  its  scape  crowned  with  dainty  flowers  which  appear  to  be 
less  overshadowed  with  foliage  than  do  many  of  the  species,  for  in  outline, 
the  leaves  are  very  slender,  almost  linear.  It  may  be  found  growing  about 
ponds  and  ditches  in  southern  Alabama,  where  a  few  years  ago  it  was  dis- 
covered by  Dr.  Charles  Mohr,  and  afterwards  described  and  named  for  him 
by  Mr.  J.  G.  Smith. 

S.  subuldta  nataiis,  arrow-grass,  is  a  submerged  plant  with  floating  leaves, 
and  a  very  different  appearing  one  than  the  larger  species  which  have 
already  been  mentioned.  It  is  often  fully  grown  and  in  bloom  when  but  a 
few  inches  high,  depending  on  the  depth  of  the  water,  and  at  its  best  seldom 
attains  over  three  feet.      In   either  case,  however,  the    amateur  can   readily 


26 


THE  WATER-PLANTAIN  FAMILY, 


know  from  the  arrangement  of  its  flowers  that  it  belongs  to  this  genus.  Its 
leaves  are  grass-like,  mostly  blunt  at  their  apices  and  appear  not  dissimilar  to 
many  a  little  clump  of  grass  which  is  seen  about  the  brackish  waters  of  Florida. 


'.    .^  ^^- 


THE  PALM  FAMILY. 

A  distinctive  group,  composed  of  trees  and  shrubs  7vith  a  woody  ste?n  or 
caudex,  as  it  is  called,  and  fan-shaped  or  pinnately-divided  foliage  the 
groivth  of  which  is  continued  by  means  of  a  terminal  bud.  The  flowers 
are  very  small  and  produced  on  a  sort  of  spray,  called  a  spadix. 

Occurring  through  our  range  there  are  besides  the  native  palms  two 
exotic  species  which  to  many  have  become  very  familiar,  the  cocoanut, 
Cocas  nucifera  and  the  date  palm,  Phoenix  dactylifera. 


CABBAGE  TREE,  CABBAGE  PALMETTO. 

Sabal  Pahnetto. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Palm. 

Upright. 

•2o-i,o/eet. 

Florida  to 
North  Carolina. 

June. 
Fruit :     Oct. 

Stem  :  endogenous,  erect.     Leaves :  from  five  to  eight  feet  long,  alternate  ;  with 
Jong,  smooth  petioles  which  are  sheathed  at  their  bases  with  dry  fibres  ;  fan-shaped, 


THE  PALM  FAMIL\ 


pinnatificl,  the  narrowed  divisions  deeply  two  cleft  at  their  apices  and  recurved 
near  the  sunnnit.  Sinuses:  with  thread-like  fibres  which  have  parted  from  the 
pale  margins;  thick;  lustrous;  bright  green.  Spadix :  two  to  two  and  a  half  feet 
long,  branched.  Flowers:  whitish,  perfect;  very  small;  growing  in  the  axils  of 
early  falling  bracts.  G;/j;f  ;  cup-shaped;  unequally  three-lobed.  Petals:  three, 
slightly  united  at  their  bases.     Stavietis  :  six.     Drupe:  globose;  black;  lustrous.' 

"  High-towering  palms  that  part  the  southern  flood, 
With  shadowy  isles  and  continents  of  wood." 

This  majestic  palm,  with  its  tall  trunk  and  luxuriously  tufted  mass  of  fan- 
shaped    leaves   at   the 
summit,  is  very  different 
in  appearance  from  the 
trees  with  which  we  are 
mostly  familiar.     It  is 
in  truth  a  coastal  beau- 
ty,   and    its    presence 
changes  completely  the 
sylvan    character  of  a 
scene     from     that     o 
country  where  it  is  not 
known.   To  the  people 
of  its  section  its    use- 
fulness   is   very   great. 
By  the  negroes  and  na- 
tive   whites     alike,    its 
terminal   bud,   which 
they  call  the"cabbage." 
is  regarded  as  a  great 
luxury.       They     think 
little  indeed  of  sacrific- 
ing the  tree  when  their 
appetites  are   in   ques- 
tion ;    for   always    the 
growth  of  the    young 
and  healthful   ones   is 
chosen.       When    we 
prepared    this    delicacy 


"  -  r 


\- 


is   similar   in   flavour 


-   to    that    of  artichokes   and 

IS  really  extremely  palatable.  Even  pickles  are  made  from  these  buds. 
But  more  than  m  any  other  way  the  trees  are  pillaged  to  supply  the  bristles 
of  scrubbmg  brushes.  About  a  foot  of  the  young,  imbricated  leaf  stalks, 
the  bud   in  reality,  is  cut  off,  and  sent  to   factories  that   use  them  in  large 


28  THE  PALM  FAMILY. 

quantities.  To  this  suppression  of  its  growth,  the  tree  must  In  time 
naturally  succumb.  Its  trunks  are  desirable  for  wharf-piles  as  they  are  not 
eaten  by  sea  worms.  Polished  cross  sections  of  the  stem  also  are  made 
into  small  ornamental  table  tops  while  canes  as  well  are  cut  from  the  wood. 

It  is  now  a  matter  of  history  that  on  June  28th,  1776,  a  small  force  of 
less  than  a  hundred  Carolinians  under  command  of  Moultrie,  repulsed 
successfully  an  attack  of  the  British  fleet  commanded  by  Sir  Peter  Parker. 
They  were  on  Sullivan's  Island  in  the  habour  of  Charleston  behind  a  primi- 
tive fortification  made  of  palmetto  trunks.  Through  this  wood  a  ball  can 
only  pass  with  difficulty,  its  resistance  being  very  like  that  of  cork,  and  the 
perforation  it  makes  in  entering  closes  very  shortly.  Then  the  wood  is  not 
subject  to  splitting.  This  victory  is  commemorated  by  the  state  seal  of 
South  Carolina.  An  erect  palm  tree  represents  the  strength  of  the  forti- 
fication, while  a  prostrate  oak  typifies  the  British  fleet  of  oak  timber. 

S.  glabra,  dwarf  sabal,  or  swamp  palmetto,  bears  from  its  short,  buried 
stem  very  large,  glaucous  leaves.  To  their  rounded  bases  the  numerous 
narrow  divisions  nearly  extend,  while  at  their  summits  they  are  slightly 
two-cleft.  Their  margins  are  thick  and  divide  but  sparingly  into  threadlike 
filaments.  The  petioles  are  stout,  triangular  and  rounded  on  the  lower 
surface.  Very  abundantly  the  black,  lustrous  drupes  are  produced  in  their 
long  clusters  and  each  one  contains  a  round,  depressed  seed.  In  woods 
of  the  lower  districts,  especially  near  Jacksonville,  and  occurring  northward 
to  the  Carolinas  it  may  be  sought  for  among  the  palms. 

SAW  PALMETTO.     SCRUB  PALHETTO.     {Plate  X) 

Serenoa  scrrulata. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME   OF   BLOOM 

Palm. 

Spreading;  dense. 

3-4/'-''^. 

Florida  to 
South  Carolina. 

May.,  June. 
Fruit:  A  ug. 

Stem  :  creeping.  l)ranching,  shrubby.  Leaves:  large,  their  petioles  with  pointed 
saw-like  teeth  along  their  margins  ;  circular;  fan-shajied,  square  or  wedge-shapetl 
at  the  base  and  divided  into  numerous  slightly  two-cleft  divisions,  bright  green. 
Sinuses:  without  filaments.  Spadix :  shorter  than  the  leaves,  densely  tomentose. 
Petals:  three,  small.      Staweiis :  six.     Drupe:  black;  ovoid-oblong. 

All  through  swampy  places  in  its  natural  habitat,  sometimes  covering 
acres  where  grows  the  long  leaved  pine,  or  jostling  side  by  side  along  sandy 
shores  with  tall  grasses  and  wild  flowers,  this  low  and  spreading  palm  is  as 
distinctive  a  feature  of  the  undergrowth  as  is  the  palmetto  of  arborescent- 
life.  And  on  the  Floridan  keys  wdiere  the  landscape  shows  no  mountains 
or  ravines,  no  fast-flowing  streams  or  graceful  valleys,  great  clumps  of  it 
are  tossed  backwards  by  the  breeze,  or  the  leaves  rest  motionless  in  the 
humid  air. 


PLATE  X.     SAW  PALMETTO,      sv™. ,     •■     /  . 


ffl 


li 


30  THE  PALM  FAMILY. 

By  the  people  its  roots  are  appreciated,  perhaps,  more  than  its  beauty, 
for  they  make  them  into  brushes  and  weave  their  coarse,  stiff  fibre  into 
sacking  when  they  have  washed  out  the  softer  tissues.  Again  they  boil 
them  down  and  drink  the  liquid  as  a  medicine.  The  berries  are  consid- 
erably eaten,  and  besides  being  very  tasteful  they  are  said  to  be  fattening. 

5.  arborescens  thrives  in  the  margins  of  swamps  which,  in  southwestern 
Florida,  follow  the  course  of  the  Chockoloskee  river.  Inhabit  it  is  arbores- 
cent, often  becoming  thirty  and  forty  feet  high,  and  producing  one  or  more 
stems.  Its  flowers  are  minute.  They  and  also  the  small  fruit  grow  in  a 
spadix  considerably  more  elongated  than  that  of  the  preceding  species. 

Oxeodbxa  r€gia,\.\\^  royal  palm,  appears  to  be  one  of  nature's  miracles  as, 
at  the  great  height  of  eighty  or  one  hundred  feet,  its  large  leaves  are  seen 
moving  ceaselessly  in  the  air.  Often  they  measure  fifteen  feet  long  and 
have  a  grace  hardly  conceivable  by  those  who  have  not  seen  them. 
They  are  closely  and  pinnately  divided  into  narrowly-linear  segments  which 
from  their  bases  taper  gradually  to  a  pointed  apex.  Conspicuously  veined, 
and  of  a  dark,  brilliant  green  it  is  the  more  noticeable  that  on  their  under 
sides  they  are  covered  with  small,  pale -coloured  dots.  In  Florida,  where 
for  one  place  the  royal  palm  grows  about  Rogue's  River,  the  spadix  opens 
its  bloom  in  January  and  February.  In  fruit,  it  is  even  a  more  attractive 
sight  as  the  violet  blue  berries  are  quite  ornamental. 

The  wood  of  the  trunk's  interior  is  spongy  and  of  no  great  value ;  but 
the  outer  rim  is  beautifully  marked  and  made  extensively  into  the  canes 
which  tourists  buy  as  souvenirs. 

Pseiidophcetiix  Sargent i  is  the  name  of  the  rare  palm  which  is  found  at  the 
east  end  of  Elliott's  key,  and  also  on  Key  Largo,  Florida,  and  about  which 
Mr.  Curtis  has  written  :  "  On  account  of  the  small  number  of  these  trees 
and  the  precarious  condition  under  which  they  grow,  they  might  have  disap- 
peared wholly  from  the  world  but  for  their  timely  discovery  by  Professor 
Sargent."  They  are  usually  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  high  with  large, 
erect  leaves  which  are  abruptly  pinnatifid.  The  spadix  is  often  quite  three 
feet  long  and  bears  very  showy  fruit. 

Thrinax  Floridana  at  its  best  grows  to  a  height  of  about  thirty  feet,  and 
its  trunk,  with  bluish  grey  covering,  is  generally  decorated  with  the  persis- 
tent bases  of  the  petioles.  The  nearly  circular  leaves  are  bright  yellow- 
green,  shiny  above  and  on  the  lower  side  silvery  white.  The  tips  of  the 
petioles  are  orange  coloured  while  the  lower  down  become  thick  and  tomen- 
tose.  By  the  long,  branching  spadix  ivory-white  and  fragrant  flowers  are 
abundantly  produced.  They  come  forth  in  June  although  the  tree  some- 
limes  blossoms  again  in  October  or  November.  About  six  months  later  the 
fruit  ripens.     The   plant  grows  on  sandy  shores  and  coral  ridges  and  has 


THE  PALi\[   FAMILV.  ., 

been  reported  from  Cape  Romano  to  Cape  Sabal  and  from  Torch  Key  lo 
Long  Key. 

T.  microcaypa,  silver-top  palmetto,  or  brittle  tliatch,  is  of  similar  size  to 
the  preceding  tree  and  is  more  frequently  seen  than  any  other  palm 
on  the  keys  of  south  Florida.  It  there  inhabits  dry,  coral  soil.  Its  great 
leaves,  with  their  quadrangular  petioles  with  rounded  edges,  are  from  two  to 
three  feet  across  and  are  covered  underneath,  at  least  when  young,  with  a 
bluish  white  tomentum.  Above  they  are  pale  green.  To  below  their  middle 
they  are  split  into  narrow  divisions  considerably  thickened  at  their  man-ins. 
In  April  the  spadix  gracefully  spreads  its  bloom.  The  fruit,  the  size  of 
which  has  suggested  the  tree's  specific  name,  ripens  in  the  late  autumn  or 
early  winter.  It  is  round  and  projects  a  short  remnant  of  the  style.  From 
the  trees'  trunks,  which  are  covered  with  a  pale  blue  rind,  wharf  piles  are 
obtained,  while  its  thick,  coriaceous  leaves  thatch  many  a  humble  roof. 
They  are  also  made  into  a  coarse  sort  of  rope. 

Coccothrinax  jitcunda,  also  an  inhabitant  of  dry,  coral  ridges,  occurs 
along  the  shores  of  Bay  Biscayne  and  on  the  southern  Keys  of  Florida.  It 
becomes  a  tree  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  feet  high.  Its  large  nearly 
circular  leaves  are  lightly  tinted  on  the  margins,  lustrous  above,  either  pale 
blue  or  yellowish  green,  while  underneath  they  are  silvery  white.  The 
spadix  attains  in  flower  a  length  often  of  two  feet,  and  the  tree  is  then,  as 
when  in  fruit  and  at  all  times,  a  splendid  sight.  Its  seeds  are  brown  or  of  a 
tawny  colour. 

C.  Garberi  appears  to  be  a  diminutive  representation  of  the  above  and 
grows  on  coral  ridges  near  the  shores  of  Bay  Biscayne.  It  is  a  stemless 
plant,  delicate  in  growth  and  extremely  pretty.  The  segments  of  the  com- 
paratively small  leaves  are  about  one  half  an  inch  broad  and  divided  to  their 
bases.  Much  of  the  charm  of  the  plant  lies  in  the  silvery  satin-like  texture 
of  the  undersides  of  its  foliage. 

BLUE  PALMETTO. 

RhaphidophylluDi  Hystrix. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

FiiIdi.  Shrubby.  -^-6  feet.  Florida  to  South  Carolina.  June.Jniy. 

Stem:  short,  two  to  three  feet  long,  creeping  or  upright.  Leaves  :  orbicular,  fan- 
shaped  with  triangular  petioles,  rough  on  their  edges,  and  persistent  net-like 
sheaths,  the  numerous  divisions  two  to  four  toothed  at  their  apices,  slightly  glau- 
cous. Spathes  :  t\vo-lip]jed,  woolly.  Spadix:  from  six  inches  to  one  foot  long, 
short  peduncled.        Petals  :  yellowish,  ovoid. 

Through  its  range  many  natives  know  this  palm  and  familiarly  speak  of  it 
as  the  blue  palmetto.  Perhaps  it  is  more  a  sensibility  than  anything  else 
which  makes  them  realise  that  it  is  different  from  others  of  the  genus,  for 
few,  it  is  safe  to  say,  know  its  botanical  peculiarities. 


32  THE  ARUM  FAMILY. 

THE  ARUM  FAMILY. 

A  racec€. 

Herbs  7vJiich  usually  contain  an  aa-iJ,  watery  juice  and  bear  their 
flowers  closely  on  a  spadix  usually  wrapped  about  by  a  spatlie.  Spadix 
densely  floivered ;  the  flowers  cither  perfect,  monoecious  or  dioecious.  When 
both  sorts  of  flowers  occur  in  the  same  spike  the  pistillate  ones  are 
arranged  belozv  the  staminate  ones.  The  long  pet ioled  leaves,  either  simple 
or  compound,  are  both  netted  and  parallel  veified.,  Rootstock:  a  corm  or 
tuber. 

"  I  don't  keer  nuthin'  'bout  yarbs,"  said  an  old  mountaineer,  "  but  when  I 
sees  one,  I  kin  tell  whar  it  be."  Perhaps  we  should  all  be  so  fortunate  if 
the  various  plant  families  helped  us  along  as  well  as  do  the  arums.  The 
golden-club,  Orontium  aquaticum^  is  looked  upon  quite  as  an  exception  to 
the  family  custom  as  it  has  no  screen  for  its  domesticity,  that  is,  excepting 
in  very  early  days  when  a  spathe  does  enclose  and  protect  from  harm  the 
young  spadix.  Soon,  however,  it  falls  away,  or  remains  as  a  sheathing  bract- 
at  the  base.  At  maturity  traces  of  it  are  seldom  seen.  The  golden  club, 
however,  belongs  to  a  monotypic  genus,  and  little  doubt  as  to  its  identity 
can  enter  the  mind  when  its  simple  spadix  is  seen,  crowded  with  small 
golden  flowers,  and  its  oblong,  pointed  leaves,  which  either  float  on  the  water, 
or  occasionally  protrude.  It  occurs  mostly  near  the  coast  from  Louisiana 
and  Florida  to  Massachusetts,  ascending  as  high  as  2,200  feet  in  the  moun- 
tains of  West  North  Carolina. 

The  skunk  cabbage,  Spathyhna  fcetida,  also  a  celebrated  individual,  is 
much  lauded,  in  spite  of  its  unattractiveness,  for  being  one  of  the  earliest 
spring  bloomers.  Instead,  however,  of  regarding  it  as  leader  of  the  gay 
spring  pageant,  we  might  with  justice  look  upon  it  as  a  winter  visitor,  for  it 
usually  pushes  itself  through  the  soil  in  February,  Then  down  in  the 
swamps  its  great  mottled,  purplish  brown  and  yellow  cowl  is  well  known. 
At  an  early  day  insects  find  it  out,  and  that  their  coming  is  expected  is 
proved  by  the  webs  which  spiders  weave  within  the  hoods.  It  is  not  un- 
usual to  tear  them  asunder  when  opening  the  spathes.  Later  than  the 
flowers  the  leaves  appear  ;  sometimes  they  reach  three  feet  in  length,  and 
grow  in  great  tufted  crowns.  From  a  distance  they  appear  to  have  carpeted 
the  marshy  ground  with  apple  -green. 

Peltatidra  sagittcefblia,  white  arrow-arum,  is  an  inhabitant  of  wet  places 
and  occurs  from  Florida  to  Southern  Virginia.  Its  white  spathe,  three  or 
four  inches  long,  is  open  or  expanded  towards  the  summit  where  it  tapers 


PLATE   XI.     GREEN   DRAGON.     Aris.rmj  Drjcoiiliuin. 
(33) 


34  THE  ARUM  FAMILY. 

to  a  point.  The  spadix  is  much  shorter.  The  leaves  are  sagittate,  quite 
broad,  with  basal  lobes  that  diverge  widely.  But  a  glance  at  this  humble 
plant  is  enough  to  recall  its  relatives,  the  cultivated  calla  lily  and  the  quaint 
water  arum,  Calla  palustris,  of,  however,  a  more  northern  range. 

P.  Virginica,  %\Q.(t\\  arrow-arum,  another  bog  herb,  has  sagittate  leaves 
which,  however,  are  much  narrower  than  those  of  the  preceding  species. 
The  spathe  also  is  very  distinctive,  being  green,  long,  and  very  closely 
wrapped  about  the  whole  length  of  the  shorter  spadix.  Its  margins  are 
strongly  undulated.  Even  when  ripe  the  berries  are  a  decided  green.  The 
plant  is  not  at  all  local  in  its  range,  but  occurs  at  various  points  from  Louisi- 
ana and  Florida  to  Maine, 

GREEN  DRAGON.     DRAGON=ROOT.     {Plale  XL) 
Ar/scB/na  Dracdnliin/i. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Arum. 

Spathe:  gree)i  or 
ivhitish. 

Scenth'ss. 

Te.vas  and  Fla.  io 
Maine  and  westward. 

April-  J  une. 

Flowers  :  minute,  yellowish,  growing  at  the  base  of  a  spadix  which  extends  into 
a  slender  appendage  sometimes  seven  inches  long  and  greatly  extended  beyond 
the  spathe.  Spathe:  convolute,  greenish,  opening  to  the  base,  the  lid  being 
pointed  and  upright.  Fruit :  an  ovoid  bunch  of  orange-red  berries.  Leaves:  sol- 
itary, long  i^etiolecl,  extending  high  above  the  flowers;  pedately  divided  into  many 
obovate  or  oblanceolate  leaflets,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  sessile  or  extending  into 
short,  margined  petiolules;  entire;  thin;  smooth.  Scape:  sheathed  at  the  base 
with  silvery,  membraneous  scales.     Cortns :  clustered. 

This  very  odd-looking  plant  which  is  not,  however,  rare  along  streams  or  in 
moist  woods,  is  a  near  relative  of  Jack-in-the-pulpit,  Aristxma  triphylhwi, 
an  individual  too  familiarly  known  to  need  any  introduction.  Besides  the 
dissimilarity  in  their  leaves,  for  it  will  be  remembered  that  the  preacher  bears] 
two  leaves  of  three  leaflets  each  which  tower  above  his  head,  it  is  interesting] 
to  regard  separately  their  spadixes.  That  of  Jack-in-the-pulpit  is  so  short 
that  the  top  of  the  spathe  could  easily  close  down  over  it,  while  that  of  the, 
green  dragon  extends  outward,  as  can  be  seen  by  the  illustration,  to  a  great 
length.  Even  the  flowers  of  the  staminate  plants,  which  are  higher  on  the| 
spadix  than  those  of  the  pistillate  ones,  never  appear  above  the  part  en- 
wrapped by  the  spathe,  so  the  rest  of  it  must  be  purely  for  the  purpose  ofj 
attracting  attention.  The  leaves  which  are  grotesquely  formed  are  said  toj 
kindle  a  vivid  imagination  into  seeing  the  claws  and  foot  of  a  dragon,  while] 
"fiercely  acrid  "  has  been  the  term  applied  to  the  corms'  juices. 

A.  quinatitni,  still  of  this  group,  is  a  large,  bold- looking  plant  with  either] 
one  or  two  leaves  which  are  divided  into    from  three  to  five  large  oval,  oi 
elliptical,  leaflets.     Its  spadix   does  not  protrude  above  the    spathe    whicl: 
often  measures  seven  inches  long.     The  plant  grows  in  the  mountains  of] 
Georgia  and  extends  to  North  Carolina. 


PLATE   XII.     WATER   LETTUCE.     PistLi  sp.ithuUla. 
C>5J 


3^ 


THE  ARUM  FAMILY. 


WATER  LETTUCE. 


TROPICAL  DUCKWEED.     {Plate  XII) 

Pistia  spathulata. 


FAMILY 
A  nun. 


COLOUR 

Spa  the  :  zvliite. 

Flowers:  monoecious;  very  small;  few. 


ODOUR 

SceiitUss. 


RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Florida  ami  it'cst'ivard,  August. 

Spadix:  axillary  at  the  base  of  the 
leaves  and  enwrapped  by  a  white,  tubular  spathe,  which  is  spreading  and  pointed 
at  the  apex  and  united  at  the  base;  the  outer  side  covered  with  downy  hairs. 
Leaves :  one  to  five  inches  long,  growing  in  a  circle  on  the  water;  obovate,  broadly 
rounded  at  the  aj^ex  and  contracted  at  the  base;  entire;  pale  green;  parallel- 
veined;  soft  and  covered  with  a  powdery  down,     Koots:  long;  feathery;  floating. 

This  little  plant  of  tender  green  floats  freely  in  the  rivers  and  ponds  of 
many  tropical  regions,  and  appears  like  a  young,  unsophisticated  head  of 
lettuce.  And  particularly  meek  it  looks  when  on  the  St.  John's  river  it  is 
being  knocked  about  by  the  all  powerful  \vater-h3^acinth.  During  the  sum- 
mer and  autumn  it  remains  fresh  and  its  growth  is  especially  luxurious 
in  such  shallow  water  that  its  fibrous  roots  can  touch  the  soil  below  and 
thus  draw  on  an  added  amount  of  nourishment.  In  suitable  climates  it  is 
planted  in  pools  and  basins  that  are  reserved 
for  public  use,  where  it  is  of  service  in  shading 
the  water  from  the  buinmg  rays  of  the  sun  and 
alluiing  unto  itself  insects  that  otherwise  would 
diown  themselves  in  the  water  and  become  ob- 
jectionable. 


'4'\h0^ 


The  Skunk  Cabbage. 


THE  I'lNK-APi'LE  EAMILV.  37 


THE  PINE=APPLE  FAMILY. 

Ih'oiJicliacc(C. 

Chiefly  herbs  laifh  fbrons  roots^  growing  on  of  her  plants  but  not 
parasitie,  and  ichieh  bear  elongated,  entire  or  spinulose  leaves,  eoi'ered 
mostly  with  a  gieyis/i  seurf ;  and  perfect,  bracted  Jlowers  icdiieh  are  eitli.  r 
solitary  or  panieLd.  Peiianth  in  tivo  distinet  sets  ;  three  sepals  and 
three  petals. 

LONG  M0S5.     FLORIDA  MOSS.     AIR  PLANT. 

Tilli indsii i  nsneo ides. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pineapple.  Yellowish  or  green.         Scentless.  Florida  to  Virginia.        June-October. 

Flowers :  regular,  perfect,  solitary  or  rarely  two  and  sessile  in  the  axils  of  the 
leaves,  with  bracts  at  their  bases.  Pe7-iaiith  :  with  three  slender,  greenish  sepals 
and  three  yellow  petals.  Slameiis :  six,  on  the  receptacle,  or  the  three  inner  ones 
inserted  on  the  base  of  the  petals.  Stii^nias  :  three.  Capsule  :  linear  ;  three-valvcd. 
Leaves:  scattered,  or  two-ranked;  thread-like;  linear-cuneate,  elongated  and 
covered  densely,  as  are  the  stems  with  a  silvery  grey  scurf.  Stcvi  :  one  to  two 
feet  lung,  slender;  branching;  flexuous  ;  hanging  in  clusters  from  the  branches  of 
trees. 

Who  of  the  south  does  not  know  the  long  moss  as  it  hangs  in  great 
streamers  from  the  branches  of  trees  and  gives  to  them  a  hoary  look  as  of 
great  age.  Many  there  are  who  admire  it  extravagantly  and  complain  of 
the  nakedness  of  a  scene  where  it  does  not  grow  ;  btit  others  are  conscious 
of  a  certain  weird  melancholy  it  casts  abroad  as  it  waves  in  its  pendulous 
masses.  Especially  did  this  sensation  seem  to  me  prevalent  along  the 
shores  of  the  rivers  in  Horida,  where  it  forms  one  of  the  principal  features 
of  the  vegetation.  That  the  long  moss  is  so  wonderfully  abundant  is  be- 
cause its  peculiar  little  seeds  have  long  threads  about  their  crown  which, 
when  they  are  cast  about  by  the  breezes,  catch  hold  of  the  trees  and  cling  to 
them  until  they  germinate. 

The  people  gather  this  moss  and,  by  a  known  process  of  rotting  its  out- 
side, produce  of  the  inner  fibre  a  stuffing  which  is  largely  sold  for  use  in 
furniture.  Indeed  this  industry  has  helped  a  good  many  natives  in  the  way 
of  securing  money.  It  is  only  about  fourteen  years  ago  that  in  Dade 
County,  where  now  stands  the  famous  Palm  licach  hotel  there  were  but 
sixty  voters,  the  area  of  the  County  being,  however,  little  less  than  that  of 
the  state  of  New  Jersey.  One  coloured  church  there  was.  where  once  a 
year  the  priest  came  to  announce  pardon  for  their  sins.     It  was  very  hard  to 


3^ 


THE  PINE-APPLE  FAMILY. 


gain  a  livelihood. 


In  fact,  had  it  not  been  for  the  cabbage  palmetto,  the  til- 
landsias  and  the  game  the  Seminole  Indians  brought 
in  their  canoes  and  exchanged  for  silver  money,  the 
people  would  have  starved.  Besides  the  long  moss 
and  the  two  species  that  follow  there  are  about  ten 
others  occurring  in  the  United  States  and  over  300 
which  are  indigenous  to  tropical  America.  Many  of 
the  more  attractive  ones  are  used  as  decorative  plants 
in  greenhouses  where  they  are  hung  up  on  wire  nets. 
One  man  from  Dade  County  used  to  collect  such  as 
these,  take  them  up  to  Jacksonville  and  from  there 
ship  them  by  the  cargo. 

T.   caspitbsa,    a   hoary   plant,    bears  few-flowered 

spikes  with  terminal  flowers,  the  blue  petals  of  which 

are  considerably  longer  than  their  conspicuous  bracts. 

On   the  trunks   of  trees   it   grows  in  great,  rounded 

clusters. 

T.  Bartrdnu'i,  as  the  preceding  species,  has  linear,  scurfy 

leaves  which  are  dilated  at  their  bases.     They  are  erect  and 

rigid  and   about  as  long  as  the  stem.     Towards  their  summits 

they  become  bristle-like.     The  petals  of  the  flowers  are  blue. 


THE  SPIDERWORT  FAMILY. 

CoviJJiclinacc^. 

Herbs  untJi  7'egielar,  or  irregular  and  perfect  flowers  iv/iich  grow  in 
cy?nes,  and  are  usually  subtended  by  leafy  or  spathedike  open  bracts. 


VIRGINIA  DAY=FLOWER.      {Plate  XIII) 


Com  meVi  na  Vij-g  in  ica . 


FAMILY 
Spiderwoft. 


COLOUR 


ODOUR 

Scentless, 


RANGE 

Texas  and  Florida 

to  New  York. 


TIME  OF  Bl  OOM 
June-Septe)nber. 


Flowers  :  showy  ;  irregular;  growing  in  sessile  cymes  and  subtended  by  aspathe- 
]ike  bract.  Sepals :  three,  unequal  in  size.  Petals  :  three,  two  of  which  are  large, 
while  the  third  one  is  more  inconspicuous.  Stamens  :  usually  six,  three  being  im- 
perfect. Capsule:  three-celled,  each  cell  containing  a  single  seed,  although  one 
cell   does    not   open    to   allow   of   its   escape.      Leaves;  simple;   alternate;  Ian 


PLATE   XIII.     VIRGINIA  DAY-FLOWER.     Commeliiia  ytrginica. 
(39) 


40  THE  SPIDERWORT  FAMILY. 

ceolate  or  linear-lanceolate;  entire;  parallel-veined;  rough;  the  petiole  forming 
about  the  stem  a  united,  inflated  sheath  which  is  pubescent  and  fringed  at  the 
opening.     Stem  :   ascending;  branching;  leafy.    Juice:    mucilaginous. 

To  distinguish  the  variotis  species  of  day-flowers  is  not  always  a  simple 
matter,  for  between  some  of  them  the  only  well-marked  difference  is  to  be 
found  in  the  capsules.     Patience,  therefore,  and  a  good  lens  are  necessary. 

The  genus,  as  has  been  often  told,  was  named  by  Linnaeus  in  commemor- 
ation of  Kaspar  Commelm  and  his  two  brothers  who  were  Dutch  botanists. 
The  third  brother,  being  less  scientific  and  earnest  than  the  other  two,  is 
said  to  be  represented  by  the  dwarfed  and  obscure  petal  of  the  flower,  while 
the  large,  showy  petals  equally  typify  the  renown  of  the  two  better  students. 

C.erecta,  slender  day-flower,  is  a  species  which  very  closely  resembles  the 
preceding  one.  Usually,  however,  it  is  much  more  slender  in  its  manner  of 
growth  and  its  stems  are  commonly  tufted.  But  should  these  two  character- 
istics not  be  constant  a  sure  way  of  identifying  this  form  is  by  its  capsules, 
all  the  three  cells  of  which  open  to  release  their  seeds. 

C.  hirtella,  bearded  day-flower,  on  the  contrary,  is  a  readily  known 
species,  it  being  large,  from  two  to  four  feet  high,  and  having  lanceolate 
leaves  sometimes  as  much  as  eight  inches  long.  The  sheathr,  at  the  bases 
of  the  petioles  are  bearded  with  noticeably  long  brownish  hairs,  a  fact  re- 
ferred to  in  the  plant's  common  name.  When  rubbed  downward,  also,  the 
upper  surfaces  of  the  leaves  are  found  to  be  very  rough.  The  plant  most 
often  grows  in  shaded,  moist  soil. 

MOUNTAIN  SPIDERWORT. 

Tradescdntia  inontdiia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR     ^         ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Spiderivort.  Blue.  '        Scentless.  Georgia  to  Virs^inia.  June-August. 

FIo7uers  :  showy  ;  regular  ;  growing  in  terminal  umbels  and  subtended  by  long, 
leaf-like  bracts  ;  their  j)cdicels  refiexed  until  in  flower.  Sepals:  tliree  ;  distinct; 
oval  or  lanceolate.  Petals:  three;  sessile;  ovate  or  orbicular.  Stamens:  six, 
with  bearded  filaments;  fertile.  Leaves  :  lanceolate  ;  long  ix)inted  at  the  apex  and 
forming  at  the  base  a  closed  sheath  about  the  stem  which  at  its  oi^ening  is  hairy  ; 
parallel-veined  ;  entire,  smooth.  Stem:  one  to  two  feet  high;  slender;  seldom 
branched.    Juice:  mucilaginous. 

Through  well  shaded  spots  in  moist  woods,  the  dense  clumps  of  this 
plant's  grass-like  foliage  are  very  sturdy  and  vigourous  looking.  Its 
flowers  too  have  a  cheerful  air  and  are  usually  the  only  flecks  of  blue  in 
sight,  the  colour  being  not  nearly  so  well  represented  among  our  wild  flowers 
as  are  several  others. 

The  genus  was  named  for  John  Tradescant,  a  gardener  of  Charles  I., 
who  was  no  less  known  as  a  botanist  and  great  traveller. 

T.  rbsea^  roseate  spiderwort,  a  delicate  species  with  purplish  pink  flowers 


THE  SPIDERWORT  FAMILY.  41 

and  very  slender,  elongated  leaves,  occurs  in  dry  woods  from  Texas  and 
Florida  to  Maryland.  Its  thread-like  pedicels  are  mostly  erect,  even  when 
in  bud.  Another  noticeable  feature  is  the  umbel's  long  peduncle  which  is 
subtended  by  a  dry  looking  bract. 

T.  Vi?-giniana,  spiderwort,  has  again  a  sessile  umbel  which  is  subtended 
by  long,  leaf-like  bracts.  Often  the  pedicels  of  the  large,  showy  tlcnvers  are 
covered  with  i)ubescence  wliile  at  times  they  are  found  to  be  glabrous.  The 
plant  grows  in  moist  soil  from  Kentucky  to  New  York,  and  has  long  been  a 
favourite  in  cultivation. 

T.  rt'flcxa  only  erects  the  smooth  pedicels  of  its  umbels  when  the  flowers 
are  in  bloom.  Its  leaves  are  very  long,  glaucous  and  grass-like.  Through 
the  south  it  grows  and  is  sometimes  in  blow  as  early  as  May. 


THE  PICKEREL=WEED   FAMILY. 

Pontedcriaccce. 

Inchidi7ig  in  our  species  mater  plants  with  blue^  in'egular  and  perfect 
flow:rs  grcuoini^  either  solitary  or  in  a  spike  subtended  by  a  leaf-like 
spat  he  J  anil  having  pet  ioled  leaves  which  are  paralleled  veined. 

PICKEREL=WEED. 

Pontederla  cor  data. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pic/vfrcl-u'ccd.     PitrpliJi  blue.      Unpleasant.  Texas  and  Florida  J unc-OLtobcr. 

northward. 

Ftoiiwrs :  growing  closely  in  a  terminal  spike;  the  pubescent  peduncle  with  a 
bract-like,  green  spathe  at  its  base.  Pcriantli  :  labiate,  the  upper  lip,  three  lobed 
and  marked  with  yellow,  the  lower  one  with  three  linear,  sjjreading  lobes.  Stamens : 
six,  the  lower  ones  in  the  tube  of  the  perianth  ;  the  tiiree  upper  ones  shorter  and 
often  imperfect.  Pistil :  one.  Leaves  :  cordate,  or  hroadlv  sagittate,  blunt  at  the 
apex,  deeply  cordate  at  the  base  or  projected  into  two  rounded  lobes,  the  petioles 
sheathing  the  stem  ;  entire  ;  wavy  on  the  margins;  smootlu  Stem  :  stout  ;  erect; 
:  rising  one  to  two  feet  above  tiie  water. 

When  a  glimmer  from  this  gay  plant  attracts  the  eye  there  is  something 
very  pleasing  in  its  erect  spike  of  rakish-looking  flowers.  Yery  placidly  its 
colour  appears  to  blend  with  the  silvery  sheen  of  the  water  above  which  it 
arises,  and  especially  is  this  noticeable  in  the  late  summer  when  often  the 
flowers  form  so  striking  a  contrast  to  the  brilliant  cardinal  flowers  blooming 
by  the  water's  edge  and  the  glow  from  the  masses  of  yellow  ones  not  far 
distant.  Many  of  these  plants  are  usually  seen  together,  so  a  pageant  of 
bloom  continues    for  a  considerable  time.     The   individuals,  however,  be- 


42  THE  PICKEREL-WEED  FAMILY. 

come  sadl}^  faded  when  they  have  lived  but  a  single  day.  The  flowers  show 
the  peculiarity  of  being  trimorphous  quite  as  strongly  as  do  those  of 
Lythrufu  Salicaria. 

WATER=HYAC1NTH.     {Plate  XIV.) 
Piaropus  crdssipes, 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pickerel-weed.     Pinkish  lavender.     Scentless.     St.  John  s  River.,  Fla.^  etc.       April-October. 

Flowers:  growing  closely  in  an  oblong  spike  at  the  end  of  a  short,  pubescent 
peduncle,  and  having  a  sheathing  bract  at  the  base.  Perianth  :  labiate,  the  upper 
lip  three  divided,  the  middle  lobe  broader  than  the  other  and  marked  with  tur- 
quoise and  sapphire  blue,  and  having  a  deep  yellow  spot  in  the  centre;  the  lower 
lip  also  three  divided  and  spreading.  Stamens:  six,  the  three  lower  ones  in  the 
throat  with  long,  hairy  filaments  and  up-curved  anthers;  the  three  upper  ones 
very  short  and  often  imperfect.  Pistil:  one.  Leaves:  floating  by  means  of  en- 
larged petioles  in  a  rosette  on  the  surface  of  the  water  (the  petioles  swollen  at  their 
bases,  and  filled  as  bladders  with  air)  broadly  orbicular,  often  with  a  short,  abrupt 
point  at  the  apex;  entire  ;  somewhat  rough  on  the  upper  surface;  fleshy.  Roots : 
occasionally  two  feet  long  ;  fibrous;  bushy;  floating  or  attached  to  the  ground  in 
shallow  water. 

In  rounded,  floating  clumps,  like  green  mats  on  the  surface  of  the  water 
we  first  saw  this  remarkable  plant  ;  for  the  river  at  this  point  was  broad,  and 
they  were  bits  that  had  broken  away  from  their  moorings  and  were  drifting 
wherever  the  wind  directed  them,  being  well  upheld  by  the  air  in  their 
inflated  petioles.  But  as  we  came  to  narrower  stretches  of  the  river  we 
saw  them  growing  along  the  shores  in  unbroken  lines  by  the  acres.  Every- 
where the  eye  rested  upon  them.  And  far  into  the  marshy  land  they 
extended.  Many  of  the  plants  were  still  in  bloom  and  carpeted  the  calm 
water  with  a  soft  tint  of  pinkish  lavender,.  Their  extreme  beauty  cannot  be 
gainsaid  nor  that  it  adds  a  wonderful  light  to  the  St.  John's. 

About  twelve  years  ago,  Mr.  Fuller,  who  lived  along  the  river  near  Pa- 
latka,  imported  this  plant  from  India  and  had  it  growing  in  a  lake  on  his 
grounds.  Here  it  increased  so  rapidly  that  to  rid  himself  of  a  superabun- 
dance of  it  he  threw  a  number  of  plants  into  the  river.  At  that  time  there 
was  not  one  of  them  growing  on  its  surface,  but  there  were  many  white 
water  lilies.  No  sooner,  however,  had  the  hyacinths  felt  the  warmth  of  this 
humid  stream,  than  they  recognised  its  peculiar  character  as  being  well 
adapted  to  their  needs  and  here  they  have  established  their  kingdom.  In 
the  shallow  water  their  fibrous  roots  delve  in  the  ground,  and  form  an 
anchorage.  Then  so  close  and  interwoven  is  their  growth  that  they  stretch 
outward  in  floaty  masses,  which  gradually  become  detached  and  are  drifted 
hither  and  thither.  From  St.  Francis  to  Lake  George,  a  distance  of  twenty- 
five  miles,  they  at  one  time  blocked  the  river  and  greatly  impeded  naviga- 
tion,    They  are  also  a  nuisance  in  upholding  objectionable  organic  matter. 


^\,^(o^-  %iMdi^ 


PLATE  XIV.     WATER-HYACINTH.    Puropus  cmssipes. 
(43) 


44-  THE  PICKEREL-WEED  FAMILV. 

Moreover,  they  destroy  bridges  and  docks  and  at  the  present  time  have 
more  anathemas  showered  upon  them  than  any  other  plant  in  Florida,  or 
perhaps  in  the  country.  So  serious,  indeed  is  their  rapidly  increasing  power 
that  the  department  of  agriculture  at  Washington  is  perplexed  about  the 
best  means  to  employ  in  their  destruction.  At  the  present  time  what  has 
wreaked  more  damage  on  them  than  anything  else  are  the  heavy  rainfalls  to 
which  Florida  has  been  subjected  and  which  have  caused  the  river  to  rise 
greatly.  High  gales  have  then  floated  them  into  the  adjoining  woods,  where, 
when  the  water  fell,  they  have  been  left  to  die  being  entangled  among  other 
growth,  and  where  in  decaying  they  richly  fertilise  the  soil. 

Among  other  good  qualities,  they  are  highly  nourishing  food  for  horses, 
crows,  pigs  and  cattle.  Often  we  saw  the  latter  standing  in  water  which 
left  little  more  than  the  line  of  their  back  showing  and  placidly  eating  the 
stalks  and  leaves.  These  have  a  peppery  taste  and  are  said  to  be  very  fat- 
tening to  stock.     The  bloom  also  is  very  beautiful. 

THE  STEMONA  FAMILY. 

Stemondceo'. 

CROOMIA. 

CroLvnia  pauciflbra. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF   BLOOM 

Sceiiiona.  G>et-nis/i.  Sct-niiess.  Fla.,  Ga.  and  Ala.  April. 

Flowers:  small;  nodding  ;  growing  on  slender,  jointed  pedicels  from  the  axils  of 
the  leaves.  Ferianlh  :  persistent;  four-parted;  the  divisions  oval.  Statnens : 
four,  on  the  receptacle  opposite  the  lohes.  Stioj/ta:  two-lobed.  Leaves:  alter- 
nate about  the  summit  of  the  stem;  ol^long-cordate  ;  mostly  seven  nerved;  entire  ; 
thin  ;  glabrous;  becoming  tissue-like  when  dried.  Stem:  six  to  twelve  inches  high, 
ascending  from  a  creeping  rootstock,  sheathed  at  the  base. 

At  one  time  this  low  and  insignificant- looking  herb  was  much  talked  of 
in  the  south,  and  it  still  claims  a  good  deal  more  than  an  ordinary  amount 
of  attention.  When  first  it  Vv^as  discovered  the  leading  botanists  of  the 
country  were  greatly  puzzled  to  know  just  where  to  place  it  in  the  great 
world  of  plants  ;  and  finally  it  was  made  to  stand  as  the  type  of  a  new  genus. 
It  was  discovered  by,  and  named  for  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  bot- 
anists of  the  south,  Mr.  Stephen  Croom,  whose  love  for  flowers  was  so  en- 
thusiastic that  he  was  able  to  interest  Dr.  Chapman  in  the  science,  who  first 
took  it  up  as  a  pastime.  It  seems  to  have  been  a  melancholy  fate  that  Dr. 
Croome  and  his  family  should  all  perish  while  on  the  Atlantic,  and,  there- 
fore, it  is  particularly  pleasant  to  find  this  little  plant  still  blooming  in  his 
honour. 


Each  cun'e  of  the  river ^ 
Each  broad,  open  bay, 

Is  lined  ivith  these  florets, 
Proclaiming  the  way. 

(XV). 


THE  UUNCII-FLOWER   FAMILY.  45 

THE  BUNCH=FLOWER  FAMILY. 

JMclaiilhacca'. 

Including  in  our  species  leafy  stcvuned  herbs  which  arise  from  root- 
stocks^  or /ess  often  from  bulbs.  Their  leaTCS  are  /in ear,  or  broader,  par- 
a/Ie/-7'eined  and  entire.  F/owers  :  perfect  ;  regu/ar  ;  groiv'ug  in  various 
forms  of  inf/orescejice,  atid  having  a  perianth  of  six  usua//y  separate 
s^gnunts.     Fruit:  a  capsu/e. 

TOFIELDIA. 

7\>Jie/d/a  glabra. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME   OF    BLOOM 

Bu  nch  -Jloiver. 

n-hitc. 

Scentless. 

North  and  South 
Carolina. 

October. 

Flowers  :  small  ;  expanding  from  the  Ijase  upward  in  a  raceme  at  the  end  of  a 
scape-like  stem  ;  the  pedicels  having  minute  bracts  at  their  l)ases.  /'cruuit/i:  with 
six  oblong  rounded  segments;  withering  and  persisting  for  some  time.  Stamens: 
six;  exserted;  filaments,  thread-like.  Pistil:  one.  Basal  leases:  clustered  and 
sheathing  the  base;  the  few  on  the  stem  sessile;  linear;  pointed  at  the  apex. 
Stem:  one  to  two  feet  high  ;  simple  ;  smooth. 

In  low  pine  barrens  or  wbere  there  is  sandy  soil  this  plant  is  seen  rearing- 
its  liis^ht,  fluffy  looking  cluster  of  bloom.  While  it  does  not  much  matter  to 
botanists  that  the  genus  has  no  very  pertinent  common  name,  the  fact  is 
significant  of  how  little  known  to  the  people  are  its  fair  members.  Tofieldia 
palustris,  which,  however,  does  not  occur  through  our  range  is  called  the 
Scottish  asphodel. 

T.  g/utinbsa,  glutinous  tofieldia,  grows  in  swamps  and  bogs  and  besides 
being  an  inhabitant  of  the  extreme  north  and  west  occurs  also  in  the  south- 
ern Alleghanies,  where  it  chooses  often  such  high  peaks  as  that  of  Mount 
Pisgah  for  its  habitation.  Its  stem  and  pedicels  are  very  viscid  and  covered 
with  black  glands  which  give  the  plant  a  rather  disagreeable  appearance. 
From  the  beginning  of  May  it  blooms  through  July. 

TURKEY=BEARD. 

Zerop/iyllu m  asph odc/o Ides. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Bunch-jto-iver.  White.  Scentless.  Ceon^ia  and  J'ennessee  May-July. 

to  soutliern  Neiv  Jersey . 

/^^^m'^Tj  ;  growing  compactly  in  a  long,  terminal  raceme,  with  thread-like  ]iedi- 
cels.  Perianth:  with  six  ovate  or  oblong  spreading  segments;  withering-persis- 
tent. Stamens:  rather  short;  the  filaments  subulate.  Styles:  three;  stigmatic 
along  the  inner  side,  thread-like,  reflexed.  Leaves  :  those  about  the  base  thickly 
clustered;  those  on   the  stem  narrowly  linear;  spreading  ;  very  long;  rough  and 


46  THE  BUNCH-FLOWER  FAMILY. 

file-like  on  the  margins;  the  upper  ones  considerably  shorter  than  the  others. 
Stem:  two  to  five  feet  high;  erect;  simple;  very  leafy  and  arising  from  a  woody 
rootstock. 

Before  one  can  fairly  reach  the  top  of  Grandfather  Mountain  and  rest  for 
awhile  upon  the  chin  of  that  dark  visage  against  the  sky,  he  must  fairly 
tread  underfoot  many  of  these  plants  which,  in  sandy  places,  grow  luxuriantly 
and  are  among  the  most  beautiful  of  the  herbaceous  ones  there  seen.  In 
the  early  spring  the  plant's  thick  clumps  of  semi-evergreen  basal  leaves,  and 
later  its  packed  spike  of  white  flowers  could  hardly  escape  the  attention, 
\Vhen  we  ascended  the  mountain,  however,  its  great  head  of  capsules  was 
ripening  ;  the  dense  bloom  having  long  since  passed. 

SWAMP   PINK. 

Helbnms  bull  at  a. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF    BLOOM 

Dunck-Jloiver.  Furple.  Scentless.       Va.  to  Penn.,  X.  J .  andN.Y.  Ap7-il,  May. 

Flowers:  perfect;  growing  in  a  short,  dense  raceme  at  the  end  of  a  tall  scape 
which  bears  several  lanceolate,  bract-like  leaves  near  the  base.  Perianth:  with 
six,  spatulate,  sj^reading  segments.  Stamens:  six,  their  filaments  filiform;  ex- 
serteci.  Anthers:  blue.  Pistil:  one\  stigma,  three-branched.  Leaves:  six  to  fifteen 
inches  long,  clustered  at  the  base  of  the  scape  ;  long  oval,  pointed  or  rounded  at 
the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  the  petiole;  entire;  smooth;  thin;  the  basal 
ones  evergreen. 

When  the  bloom  of  this  plant  is  bright  and  fresh  its  leaves  are  from  five 
to  eight  inches  long,  and  they  then  hover  about  the  base  in  a  very  pretty 
rosette.  They  have  also,  being  evergreen,  protected  the  young  buds,  which 
when  the  winter  is  mild,  become  impatient  and  often  shoot  up  as  tender 
morsels  for  the  frost  to  nip.  After  the  flowers  have  passed,  however,  these 
leaves  attend  to  their  own  growing  and  often  attain  an  astonishing  height. 
The  swamp  pink  grows  on  many  of  the  high  mountains  of  the  Alleghanies. 
On  Grandfather  Mountain  and  near  Cccsar's  Head  I  noticed  a  number 
thriving  well  in  rather  moist  soil.  Formerly,  I  had  thought  the  plant  to  be 
an  exclusive  inhabitant  of  swamps  and  bogs,  as  it  mostly  is  in  New  Jersey. 

DEVIL'S  BIT.    UNICORN=ROOT.     DROOPING  STARWORT. 

Cha))icEliriu))i  liiteuDi . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF   BLOOM 

BHKch-Jlo'wer.         White.         Sceititeis.  Fia.  to  Mass.  and  westivard.  May-July. 

Flowers:  small;  bractless;  dioecious;  growing  in  long,  spike-like  and  often 
curved  racemes.  Periaiith:  with  six  spatulate-linear,  one-nerved  segments. 
Stamens:  six.  Pistillate  flowers :  with  three  styled  pistils.  Capsule:  oblong; 
three-lobed;  projecting  the  club-shaped  styles.  Leaves:  those  from  the  base, 
long  obovate,  blunt  at  the  apex  and  tapered  at  the  base  into  long  petioles;  those 
of  the  stem  linear,  or  lanceolate;  sessile;  smooth.  Stem:  erect;  glabrous;  those 
of  the  pistillate  plants  often  four  feet  high,  considerably  taller  in  fact  than  the 
staminate  ones.     Rootstock:  tuberous;  bitter. 


TllK  BUNCH-FLOWER  FAMILY.  47 

This  graceful  plant  which  is  monotypic  of  its  genus  forms  often  a  ihicl<, 
close  growth  through  moist  meadows.  h\  the  high  AUeghanies  it  is  very 
abundant.  It  fact,  in  many  of  the  mountain- fastnesses,  where  the  whole 
poetry  of  life  devolves  into  a  struggle  for  existence,  it  is  of  much  importance 
to  the  people.  They  gather  just  as  much  of  it  as  they  can,  and  fairly  sell  it 
by  the  ton.  It  is  in  the  greatest  demand,  forming,  it  is  said,  a  strong  ingre- 
dient in  one  of  the  celebrated  Mrs.  Pinkham's  remedies.  If  actively  inclined, 
a  man  employed  in  pulling  the  plant  can  earn  from  seventy-five  cents  to 
a  dollar  a  day.  Even  young  girls  gather  enough  to  net  them  readily  from 
thirty-five  to  fifty  cents.  But  the  natives  themselves  do  not  further  fatten 
Mrs.  Pinkham's  profits.  When  they  are  in  need  of  a  restorative  they  simply 
make  a  tincture  out  of  it  with  whiskey  which  they  then  drink  in  rather 
astonishing  quantities. 

Although  called  popularly  blazing  star  the  name  is  inappropriate,  being 
more  often  associated  with  another  genus.  Its  scientific  name  was  formerly 
Hdtmias  dioica,  a  title  to  which  the  mountaineer  still  clings. 

STOUT  STENANTHIUn. 

SioidniJi  i  11)11  7-obihtuni . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Bunch-floivcr.      Wliite  a)id greenish.     Siveet.        Tenn.  and  S.  C.  to  Penn.       J u>ie-SeJ>teiiiber 

FloiihTs :  small;  growing  in  a  long,  loose  panicle.  PerianlJi:  with  six  lanceo- 
late, ])ointed  segments.  Stamens  :  v^x^  '&\\o\i.  Capsule:  erect;  flattened;  three- 
valvcd.  Leaves  :  those  from  the  base,  often  more  than  a  foot  long  ;  linear  ;  blunt 
at  the  apex  and  sheathing  the  stem  at  the  base  ;  those  of  the  stem,  sessile  ;  linear; 
l^ointed  ;  becoming  bract-like  among  the  flowers;  smooth.  S/e;/i:  three  to  five 
feet  high;  erect;  stout;  arising  from  a  bulb. 

In  late  August,  when  there  is  a  lull  in  the  procession  of  wild  flowers,  this 
tall  plant  arises  and  spreads  its  fleecy  panicle  of  bloom.  There  is  much 
about  it  that  is  beautiful,  especially  its  fresh,  crisp  look.  In  the  AUeghanies 
it  grows  on  high  places.  At  Highlands,  N.  C,  where  I  found  a  notably  fine 
specimen,  it  clung  to  a  rocky  ridge  bordering  the  lake  ;  and  I  also  saw  that 
it  was  there  cultivated  by  the  inhabitants  and  throve  extremely  well. 

5.  grainineiim,  grass-leaved  stenanthium,  differs  from  the  preceding 
species,  in  having,  as  its  name  implies,  very  slender,  grass-like  leaves  and 
bearing  a  capsule  which  is  re^exed.  The  plant,  moreover,  does  not  grow 
so  tall  as  the  "  stout"  one,  and  is  more  delicate  in  appearance,  the  branches 
of  the  panicle  being  very  slender  and  often  drooping.  Its  flowers  are  per- 
haps smaller,  but  they  are  extremely  pretty.  On  their  undersides  they  are 
tipped  with  a  deep  wine  colour,  and  are  laden  with  a  sweet  perfume.  The 
plant  grows  in  either  moist  or  rather  dry  soil  from  \'irginia  to  Kentucky 
and  Alabama.  In  the  high  AUeghanies  it  is  a  constant  bloomer  through 
August  and  September. 


48  THE  BUNCH-FLOWER  FAMILY. 

CRISPED  BUNCH=FLOWER. 

Mehinthiuin  laiifbliuin. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF    BLOOM 

BuHch-Jlower.  Yelloivisk  or     Fragrant.  South  Carolina  to  J iily^  August, 

greenish  white.  Pcntisyiznmia  and  Connecticut. 

Flcnvers:  growing  in  a  terminal  ])anicle,  tlieir  pedicels  slender  and  with  lanceo- 
late bracts  at  their  bases.  Fcyiantk  :  with  six  rounded  or  ovate  segnienls,  crisped 
on  their  margins  and  considerably  narrowed  into  ciaws  at  the  bases  where  there 
are  minute  glands.  Stamens:  shorter  than  the  petals.  Capsule:  large;  three- 
valved,  each  one  of  which  is  tipped  at  the  apex;  the  petals  being  persistent  about 
the  base.  Leaves  :  clasping  at  ihe  base  of  the  stem;  oblanceolate,  eighteen  inches 
to  two  feet  long,  sessile;  pointed  and  much  smaller  near  the  summit  of  the  stem  ; 
smooth.  Stem:  two  to  four  feet  high;  stout;  erect;  somewhat  grooved;  pubes- 
cent. 

In  travelling  through  the  Alleghanies,  those  sections  most  noted  for  their 
wealth  of  vegetation,  I  came  many  times  across  this  tall  plant;  for  in  spite 
of  its  being  so  wholly  green  it  was  successful  in  attracting  the  eye,  either 
from  the  swinging  black  Maria  used  as  a  diligence  through  the  mountains, 
or  from  the  windows  of  the  more  conventional  railway  train.  It  inhabited 
there  the  dry  woods  which  extended  close  to  the  road  side.  Naturally  it  is 
a  great,  coarse  plant,  but  when  observed  closely  there  is  something  of  in- 
terest in  the  crimping  of  its  petals  and  in  the  way  they  persistently  cling  to 
the  bases  of  the  forming  capsules. 

M.  Vir'ginicitni,  bunch-flower,  grows  in  wet  meadows  and  marslies  over 
an  extended  range  and  is  similar  to  the  crisped  bunch-flower  in  general 
characteristics.  Its  leaves,  however,  often  grow  as  long  as  eighteen  inches. 
They  are  linear,  and  about  the  edges  of  its  oblong  perianth  segments  there 
is  no  crisping.     The  plant  is  simply  plain  Mary  with  no  trimmings. 

M.  parvifibrtini,  small  flowered  melanthium,  the  Veratriim  parviflbrttm 
of  Michaux,  bears  oval,  or  oblanceolate  leaves  which  are  quite  distinctive 
enough  to  mark  the  species.  Often  they  are  three  and  a  half  or  four 
inches  wide  and  about  eight  inches  long.  At  their  apices  they  are  short- 
pointed  and  taper  at  the  bases  into  sheathing  petioles.  The  flowers  are  \ 
small,  greenish  and  unattractive ;  their  segments  being  oblanceolate  and  i 
without  glands  at  the  bases  of  their  short  claws.  The  specimen  that  came 
under  my  notice  grew  in  rich  soil  on  the  upper  slope  of  Mount  Mitchell, 
N.  C.     The  plant's  range,  however,  extends  from  South  Carolina  to  Virginia. 

LARGE  FLOWERED  BELLWORT. 

Uintlaria  grandiflbra. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM        | 

Bunch-Jlower.     Lonon-yelloiv.      Scentless.  G  orgin  and  Tennessee  April-June. 

northivard to  Quebec.  \ 

Flotvers  :  one  to  one  and  a  half  inches  long,  solitary  and  droopuig  from  slender      \ 

} 


THE  BUNCH-FLOWER  FAMILY.  49 

peduncles;  companulate  ;  with  six  linear-lanceolate  spreading  segments,  pointed 
at  the  apex  and  narrowed  at  the  base  where  there  are  nectar  bearing  glands. 
Stameus :  six,  included;  the  filaments  thread-like.  Leavds :  alternate;  oblong- 
perfoliate;  pointed  at  the  apices;  thin;  pubescent  on  their  under  surfaces,  at 
least  when  young.  Stem:  erect;  forked  at  the  summit;  leafy  above;  there  being 
occasionally  one  leaf,  however,  borne  under  the  forks,  and  below  which  are  scale- 
like  biacts. 

About  the  bellworts  there  is  ever  to  be  noticed  a  certain  graceful  bearing 
peculiarly  their  own.  To  a  great  extent  the  Solomon's  seals  have  the  same 
air,  but  much  more  frequently  we  notice  that,  as  the  larkspur,  plants  are 
dignified  in  aspect,  or  that  they  portray  other  marked  traits.  Through 
the  rich  woods  when  well  located,  the  beliwort  spreads  very  rapidly,  and 
bears  abundantly  although  in  a  modest  fashion  its  quaint  pale  yellow  bells. 
In  cultivation  the  genus  is  very  desirable, 

U.  perfoUdta,  perfoliate  beliwort,  produces  pale  yellow  flowers  which  have 
narrow  segments  somewhat  glandular  within.  They  are  also  fragrant. 
Below  the  forked  branches  are  usually  from  one  to  three  oblong  or  broadly- 
lanceolate  leaves  which  clasp  about  the  stem  so  closely  that  they  appear  to 
have  been  pierced  by  it.  They  are  a  soft,  pale  green,  covered  with  a 
powdery  bloom  and  attain  at  maturity  to  a  considerable  size.  In  woods 
and  moist  thickets  the  plant  is  often  common,  and  has  a  range  extending 
from  Florida  to  New  England  and  Quebec.  It  is  well  known  by  the 
country  people  who  find  a  good  market  for  its  roots. 

U.  sessilifblia,  sessile-leaved  beliwort,  as  its  name  would  imply,  bears 
leaves  that  are  sessile.  In  outline  they  are  oblong  or  lanceolate  and  pointed 
at  both  ends.  Underneath  they  have  a  pale,  glaucous  bloom.  The  green- 
ish yellow  flowers  are  rather  inconspicuous. 

U.  piibdrtda,  mountain  beliwort,  grows  through  the  mountainous  woods 
of  Virginia  to  South  Carolina  ;  the  region  where  it  was  first  discovered  by 
Michaux.  Its  stem  is  stout  and  rather  pubescent  towards  the  summit. 
The  bright  green  leaves  are  sessile  and  also  pubescent  along  the  underside 
of  the  mid-vein,  while  the  light  yellow  flowers  have  distinctly  the  marks  of 
the  genus. 

LARGE  FLOWERED  ZYGADENUS. 

Zygadbi  us  glabcrrun  us. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Bunch-JIo7ver.         White.  Scentless.         Florida  to  Virginia.  July-Se/'tent/ut . 

/7(77wrj.- quite  large;  perfect;  growing  in  long,  terminal  panicles  and  bracted 
at  the  bases  of  their  pedicels.  Perianth  :  with  six,  oblong  or  lanceolate  segments, 
clawed  at  their  bases  where  there  are  two  glands.  Statnetis  :  six.  Style  :  \\\^\\ 
three  recurved,  arched  divisions.  Leases:  a  foot  or  more  long;  linear,  tapering 
to  a  point  at  the  apex  and  sheathing  the  stem  at  the  base;  glabrous,  and  slightly 
glaucous.    Stevi  :  upright ;  two  to  four  feet  high  ;  leafy  ;  smooth.    J^ootstock  :  thick. 


!>^ 


THE  BUNCH-FLOWER  FAMILY. 


Although  this  tall,  conventional -looking  wild  flower  grows  mostly  near 
the  coast  it  sometimes  strays  further  inland,  and  even  oversteps  the  borders 
of  its  range.  Always  it  is  a  notable  figure,  surprising  to  those  who  do  not 
know  the  aspirations  towards  cultivation  of  some  wild  flowers. 

Z.  leima7ithoides,  pine-barren  zygadenus,  is  found  in  swamps,  or  in  the 
wet  soil  about  pine  barrens  and  has  a  range  extending  from  Georgia  to  New 
Jersey.  In  North  Carolina  it  ascends  some  of  the  high  mountains  and  was 
found  by  Dr.  Mohr  on  Roan  Mountain.  It  differs  from  the  foregoing  species 
in  that  its  lower  leaves  are  blunt  at  their  apices  ;  its  many  flowers,  often 
greenish  with  the  segments  of  their  perianth  destitute  of  claws  ;  and  that  in- 
stead of  glands  at  their  bases  they  are  marked  with  a  yellow  spot. 


THE  LILY  FAHILY. 

Liliacece, 

Represe7ited  i?i  our  range  by  scapose  or  leafy-stemmed  herbs  which  arise 
from  bulbs  or  conns,  or  infrequently  from  rootstocks,  fibrous  fleshy  roots 
or  a  woody  caudex.  Flowers  :  regular,  consisting  of  six  divisions  of  the 
perianth  ;  six  stamens;  a  three-celled  ovary  with  united  styles  and  a 
three-lobed  or  capitata  stigma.     Fruit :  a  capsule. 

SOUTHERN  RED  LILY.     {Plate  XVI.) 
Lilium  Catesbcei. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Li.y.  Scarlet-yelloit\  Scentless.         Alabama  atid  Florida  July ,  August, 

purple  spotted.  to  North  Carolina. 

Flowers:  terminal;  solitary;  erect.  Perianth  :  W\\.\\  six  lanceolate  segments, 
much  narrowed  and  pointed  at  the  apex,  contracted  at  the  base  and  becoming 
yellow  with  deep  maroon  spots;  wavy  along  the  margins.  Stamens:  six  their 
anthers  attached  at  the  middle.  Leaves  :  those  from  the  base,  very  long.  Stem- 
leaves  :  alternate;  sessile  ;  narrowly  linear;  pointed  at  the  apex  ;  smooth.  Stem  : 
one  to  two  feet  high  from  a  scaly  bulb  ;  unbranched  ;    leafy;    smooth. 

Late  in  the  summer,  when  through  the  pine  barrens  but  few  flowers  are 
to  be  seen,  or  when  those  that  do  appear  fail  to  inspire  the  sentiment  which 
clusters  about  many  little  harbingers  of  spring,  this  lily  arises  and  through  its 
gorgeousness  gives  a  different  but  intense  delight.  It  appears  then,  and 
especially  when  lit  by  the  slanting  rays  of  sunshine  which  pass  through  the 
grey  tillandsia,  almost  mysterious  in  its  radiance.  There  are  other  wild 
red  lilies  more  beautiful,  but  this  one  is  peculiarly  of  the  south.  In  finding 
it  there  lurks  always  a  charm. 


i 


PLATE   XVI.     SOUTHERN    RED   LILY.     Liliu,,,   Catesbu-i. 


COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY    FREDERICK  A.    STOKES  COMPANY 
PRINTED    IN    AMERICA 


THE  LILY   FAMILY.  51 

L.  rhiladclphicuni,  wild  red  or  wood  lily,  has  the  same  peculiarity  as  the 
southern  red  lily  of  having  its  petals  narrowed  into  long  claws  at  their  bases, 
and  which  are  spotted  with  purple.  The  leaves  are  lanceolate,  mostly 
acuminate  at  both  ends  and  grow  in  whorls  of  from  three  to  eight  about  the 
stem.  The  flowers  are  erect  in  habit,  and  a  single  plant  bears  from  one  to 
hve.     This  is  a  lily,  however,  subject  to  many  variations. 

ASA  GRAY'S  LILY.     {Plate  XVII?) 
Liliuni  Gray  I. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Lily.  Orange-red,  spotted.      Scentless.      Mountains  of  I'a.  and  X.C.        July,  August. 

Flowers  :  solitary  or  less  often  two  or  three  growing  at  the  end  of  the  stem  ; 
nodding  or  occasionally  ascending.  Perianth :  fnnnel-fonn,  with  six  oblong- 
spatulate,  or  oblanceolate  segments,  jKjinted  at  the  apex  and  spotted  with  dark 
purple.  Z<raz/<ri-."  growing  in  whorls  of  from  three  to  eight;  oblong-lanceolate; 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  narrowed  or  pointed  at  the  base  ;  entire  ;  finely  rough- 
ened on  the  underside  of  the  veins.  Stem:  erect  ;  simple  ;  smooth;  from  a  bulb 
with  thick,  imbricated  scales. 

When  Dr.  Asa  Gray  was  searching  for  flowers  in  the  southern  mountains 
in  1840,  he  gathered  on  Roan  Mountain  a  lily  which,  through  its  strong 
resemblance  to  Liliiim  Canadense,  he  deemed  to  be  that  species,  and 
had  it  preserved  in  his  herbarium  at  Cambridge.  Again  in  1879,  when  he 
and  Professor  Sargent  went  over  the  mountains  they  found  similar  ones 
growing.  Dr.  Sereno  Watson,  however,  after  closely  observing  the  lily 
became  confirmed  in  the  belief  that  it  possessed  certain  traits  quite  at 
variance  with  those  of  Lilium  Canadense,  and,  therefore,  set  it  aside  as  a 
distinct  species  and  honoured  it  with  its  discoverer's  name.  The  flower 
appears  smaller  than  do  those  of  the  Canada  lily,  its  head  is  most  often  nod- 
ding and  while  its  segments  are  open  they  are  not  redexed.  It  is  also  of  a 
deeper  tone  of  colour.  All  this  indeed  is  still  found  to  be  true  by  those  that 
ascend  the  high  mountains,  where  its  bright  colour  is  seen  gleaming  from 
under  alders  and  rhododendrons;  but  it  is  also  true  that  when  the  lily  is  sub- 
jected to  cultivation,  for  any  length  of  time,  it  loses  much  of  its  wild  charm 
of  individuality  and  sooner  or  later  shows  more  the  character  of  Lilium 
Canadense. 

Lilium  Canadense,  wild  yellow  lily,  or  meadow  lily,  extends  southward  as 
far  as  Georgia,  Alabama  and  I\Iissouri.  Occasionally  as  many  as  fifteen 
beautiful  blossoms  crown  the  plant  and  nod  from  long  peduncles.  Their 
segments  are  spreading,  or  recurved,  yellow,  or  red  and  closely  spotted  with 
rich  brown.  The  leaves  grow  in  whorls  about  the  stem,  are  lanceolate 
and  slightly  rough  on  the  margins  and  undersides  of  the  veins. 

L.  Carolinianitni,  Carolina  lily,  is  one  frequently  encountered  throughout 
the    mountainous  woods   of   North   Carolina,    from  whence    it   extends    iq 


52  THE  LILY  FAMILY. 

Florida  and  Louisiana.  It  is  startlingly  beautiful  when  its  graceful  head  is 
seen  nodding  through  the  wood's  undergrowth.  Although  several  flowers 
sometimes  grow  on  the  stem,  a  solitary  one  is  more  often  seen.  Its 
segments  are  lanceolate,  pointed  and  arched  backward  so  that  the  tips 
frequently  overlap  each  other.  They  are  of  an  intense  orange-red  marked 
with  many  purple  spots.  The  plant  is  a  low  one,  not  growing  over  three 
feet  high,  and  has  oblanceolate  leaves, 

L.  superbiim,  turk's  cap  lily,  is  a  gorgeous  plant,  growing  at  times  eight 
feet  high  and  having  been  known  to  bear  in  a  large  panicle  as  many  as  forty 
deep  orange  coloured  flowers,  although  it  is  more  usual  to  find  a  smaller 
number.  They  nod  from  long  peduncles.  The  perianth  segments  are  long, 
lanceolate,  pointed  and  greatly  recurved.  In  fact  they  are  often  so  closely 
folded  backward  that  a  turk's  cap  has  by  them  been  suggested.  That  the 
flowers  have  this  characteristic  is  the  reason  it  would  seem  why  so  many  of 
the  country  people  mistake  the  plant  for  Lilium  Caroliniana,  which  in  a 
slighter  degree  possess  the  same  trait.  Its  greater  and  more  abundant 
growth  however  should  mark  it  distinctively. 

NoVina  Georgiana, 

FAMILY         COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Lily.  White.  Scentless.  Georgia  and  South  Carolina.  April,  May. 

Flowers:  small  ;  growing  in  a  raceme  often  two  feet  long;  minutely  bracted  at 
the  bases  of  their  pedicels,  which  are  thread-like  and  become  reflexed  in  fruit. 
Perianth:  divided  into  six  segments.  Sfatnens :  six,  on  the  perianth.  Anthers'. 
cordate.  Stigmas:  three.  Capsule  :  ohov2C<.Q.  \  three-valved.  Z^^/^vj  ;  those  from 
the  base  very  long,  narrowly  linear,  pointed  at  the  aj^ex,  rough  and  file-like  on  the 
margins  ;  those  of  the  stem,  shorter,  sessile  and  harsh.  Scape :  two  to  three  feet 
high  ;  smooth  ;  sparingly  leafy  ;  branched  above.     Root :  bulbous  ;  large. 

This  is  one  of  the  flowers  about  which  there  exists  no  folk-lore,  no  poetry. 
Year  after  year  the  natives  trample  it  down  in  an  unobservant  way  as  they 
stride  through  the  dry,  pine  barrens.  Yet  it  is  a  pretty  thing.  One  curious 
trait  it  shows  is  the  clinging  persistence  of  the  perianth  segments  as  they 
wither. 

A^.  Brittonidfia,  a  new  species  which  has  but  recently  been  determined, 
grows  in  sandy  soil  through  the  high  pine  regions  of  Florida.  It  has  been 
named  in  honour  of  Dr.  Britton. 

YELLOW  ADDER'S-TONQUE. 

ErytJirbniinn  A  ni  eric  an  iim . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Li/y.  Yelloiu.  Scentless.  Florida  and  Missouri  to  JMarch-May. 

Noz'a  .Scotia  and  westward. 

Flo7vers:  at  the  summit  of  a  peduncle  which  is  about  the  length  of  the  leaves, 
and  gheathed  by  their  bases  ;  solitary;  nodding.     Perianth:  with  six,  linear-lance- 


PLATE  Xvn.     ASA  GRAVS  LILY,     u,,,,,,,  Cr.n 
(53) 


54  THE  LILY  FAMILY. 

olate,  recurved  segments,  streaked  on  the  outside  with  purple.  Stamens:  six,  in- 
cluded ;  anthers,  attached  at  their  ends.  Pistil :  one.  Style:  club-shaped. 
Leaves:  but  one  on  the  young,  flowerless  plants,  and  two  or  rarely  three  on  the 
flowering  individuals;  oblong,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  into  sheath-jike, 
clasping  petioles  ;  thin;  glabrous;  mottled  with  purple  and  brown.  An  erect  plant 
which  arises  from  an  ovoid  corm. 

Those  who  wander  much  in  the  woods  are  prone  to  watch  with  delight 
the  early  up-springing  of  this  plant's  quaint  leaves  which  proclaim  so  surely 
the  end  of  winter  and  the  coming  of  their  own  small  lily.  It  is  a  sprightly, 
bright  little  flower,  and  has  never  a  languid  air  when  growing  in  its  natural 
habitat,  in  woody,  w^et  places,  or  about  old  trees.  Shortly  after  it  has  been 
picked,  however,  it  droops  and  closes  its  petals.  For  a  long  time  after  the 
bloom  has  passed  these  upright  and  clear-cut  leaves,  which  are  not  unlike 
the  ears  of  a  startled  fawn,  remain  a  feature  of  woodland  scenes,  and  as 
they  grow  old,  they  blend  most  attractively  on  their  surface  colours  chang- 
ing from  brown  to  purple.  Often  the  plants  cover  the  ground  in  dense,  thick 
masses.  The  country  people  collect  them  before  flowering  to  use  medicinally. 
It  is  to  be  lamented  that  they  mostly  know  the  plant  by  the  misleading 
name  of  dog's-tooth  violet. 


YELLOW  COLIC=ROOT.     (Plate  XVI  11.) 

Aletris  aitrea. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Lily.  Yellow.  Scentless.  Texas  and  Florida  to  Afril-August. 

Virginia  and  New  Jersey. 

Flowers  :  small;  growing  in  a  long  raceme  at  the  end  of  a  scape  from  one  to 
three  feet  high.  Perianth:  bell-shaped;  ascending;  with  six  ovate,  pointed  lobes, 
somewhat  rough  on  the  outside.  Stamens:  included.  Pistil:  one,  the  ovary 
three  celled.  Leaves:  those  of  the  base,  tufted;  one  and  a  half  to  three  and  a  half 
inches  long,  oval,  or  linear  oblong,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base 
into  very  short  petioles;  smooth;  stem  leaves,  few;  sessile;  linear;  very  small 
and  bract-like  among  the  flowers.     Pools:  fibrous;  bitter. 

In  dry,  pine  barrens  this  tall  stemless  herb  is  found  sending  forth  a  wand- 
like raceme  of  bell-shaped  bloom  which  is  dainty  and  yet  very  noticeable. 
The  pale  yellowish  green  leaves,  forming  a  rosette  about  the  base,  also  add 
considerably  to  its  attractiveness.  Near  Summerville,  South  Carolina,  and 
about  Jacksonville,  Florida,  the  plant  appears  to  thrive  amazingly  well. 

A.farmbsa,  colic-root,  star-grass,  is  a  more  widely  distributed  and  better 
known  plant  than  the  already  mentioned  one.  In  the  south  also  a  form 
with  golden  yellow  flowers  which  has  been  heretofore  associated  with  this 
species  has  been  recently  described  by  Dr.  Small  as  Aletris  lidea.  The 
species,  however,  which  we  are  regarding  has  white  flowers  and  their  perianth 


PLATE  XVIII.     YELLOW  COLIC-ROOT.     Ah'tris  jurca. 
(55) 


56  THE  LILY  FAMILY. 

is  tubular-oblong.  The  leaves  are  lanceolate,  or  linear-lanceolate,  consider- 
ably longer  and  narrower  than  those  of  the  yellow  colic-root,  and  are 
thin  and  flat  with  the  same  pleasing  yellowish  tint.  Through  the  Alleghanies, 
the  mountain  people  gather  the  roots  of  this  plant  in  the  early  autumn,  as 
they  have  medicinal  properties,  and  by  selling  them  make  quite  a  little  money. 
Abundantly  it  is  found  in  sandy,  moist  soil  throughout  much  of  our  range. 


SPANISH  BAYONET.     ( Plate  XIX.) 
Yucca  aloifblia. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Lily. 

White. 

Fragrant. 

North  Carolina  to  Florida 
and  Louisiana. 

June.,  J  Illy. 
Fruit:  Aug.-Oct. 

F/ozvers  :  large;  showy;  growing  in  a  terminal  panicle  and  nodding  from  round, 
bracted  pedicels.  Perianth:  campanulate,  rounded,  with  six  ovate  lanceolate  seg- 
ments, ])ointed  or  blunt  at  the  apex  and  somewhat  united  at  the  hase  where  they 
are  purple  tinted.  Stamens:  six;  short ;  included.  Fruit:  long;  elliptical,  purple 
when  rijie.  Leaves  :  one  to  three  feet  long;  alternate;  clustered  at  the  summit  of 
the  caudex;  linear-lanceolate;  taper-pointed  at  the  apex  and  tipped  with  a  sharp 
prickle;  rough  and  file-like  on  the  margins;  soon  becoming  retlexed.  Occasion- 
ally a  tree  with  endogenous  stem  twenty-five  feet  high,  more  often  from  four  to  ten 
feet  high. 

So  familiar  in  cultivation  is  now  this  genus  of  plants  that  they  appear  less 
strange  than  formerly  to  those  who  see  them  along  the  banks  of  the  St. 
John's  River,  or  on  the  sand  dunes  of  the  Atlantic  coast.  They  are  striking, 
bold  individuals  and  have  much  about  them  that  is  interesting.  As  a  means 
of  preventing  self-fertilization  their  stamens  are  shorter  than  the  ovary  and 
insects  are  therefore  necessary  to  carry  their  pollen  masses  to  the  stigma. 
Yucca  aloifolia,  however,  is  constructed  so  as  to  be  more  nearly  able  to 
perform  this  act  than  any  other  of  the  genus.  Moths,  known  popularly  as 
the  yucca  moths,  are  usually  their  ambassadors  and  so  wonderful  arc  their 
tactics  that  they  w^ll  repay  a  close  and  observant  study.  The  bogus  yucca 
moth  assists  also  in  the  disseminating  of  the  seeds.  In  the  stalk  of  the  flow- 
ering panicle  it  lays  its  eggs  and,  therefore,  late  in  the  season,  when  the 
fruit  is  well  dried,  the  young  lavae  cut  through  the  stalk,  and  as  it  falls  to  the 
ground  the  seeds  become  scattered.  The  fact  that  the  fruit  of  Yucca  aloi- 
folia dries  up  when  ripe  makes  some  such  vigorous  stroke  as  this  necessary. 
Mocking-birds  greedily  devour  the  seeds  and  also  effect  their  distribution. 

By  the  negroes  and  many  whites  as  well,  the  sweet,  fleshy  fruits  of  the 
yucca  are  eaten  and  which,  from  a  similarity  in  their  shape,  they  call  bananas. 
In  Mexico  where  there  are  several  species  this  practice  is  prevalent,  and 
they  are  besides  made  into  a  fermented  beverage.     Both  the  Indians  and 


PLATE  XIX.     SPANISH  BAYONET.      Yucca  aloifolij 

is?) 


58  THE  LILY  FAMILY. 

the  Mexicans  make  use  of  the  saponaceous  rootstocks,  and  the  former  value 
the  leaves  to  weave  into  baskets,  ropes,  mats  and  strings. 

Y.filametitbsa,  Spanish  bayonet,  or  Adam's  needle,  also  very  familiar  in 
cultivation,  sends  forth  a  high  bracted  scape  and  bears  its  flowers  in  a  large 
showy  panicle,  the  branches  of  which  diverge  widely.  Its  woody  stem  or 
caudex  is  very  short.  The  leaves  are  linear-lanceolate,  pointed  at  the  apex 
and  noticeable  from  the  thread-like  fibres  which  separate  from  their  margins 
and  which  are  considerably  used  by  the  natives  for  binding  purposes. 
The  mere  possibility  that  Adam  might  have  sewn  his  first  suit  of  clothes 
together  with  the  stiff  sharp  point  of  the  plant's  leaf  has  caused  it,  so  we 
suppose,  to  be  called  his  needle.  In  its  wild  state  it  occurs  from  Maryland 
to  Florida  and  Louisiana. 

Y.  gloriosa,  Spanish  dagger,  is  often  found  growing  in  the  same  neigh- 
bourhood as  Yucca  aloifolia.  It  is  a  smaller  plant  and  one  that  has 
smooth  leaf  margins. 


LILY=OF=THE=VALLEY  FAMILY. 

Co7ivallariacecB. 

Either  scapose  or  kafy-stamjied  plants  with  rootstocks^  fiever  grow- 
ing frotn  bulbs  or  co?'7fis,  and  which  bear  regular  flowers  and  fleshy,  berry- 
like  fruits. 


WHITE  CLINTONIA. 

Clint  on  ia  iwibelluldta . 

FAMILY  COLOUR         ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Lily-of-the-Valley.  White.         Fragrant.        Ga.  afid  Tenn.  northward.         May,  June. 

Flmvers :  growing  in  a  terminal  umbel  on  a  slightly  pubescent  scape,  eight  to 
eighteen  inches  high  and  which  sometimes  bears  midway  a  small  leaf.  Feriaitth: 
with  six  divisions,  pointed  or  obtuse  at  the  apex  and  narrower  at  the  base.  Sta- 
mens :  ^\yi,  inserted  at  the  base  of  the  perianth.  Anthers:  prominent.  Fruit: 
blue,  round,  berry-like.  Lcai'es:  from  the  base;  sheathed;  oblong,  acute  at  the 
apex,  ciliate  and  hairy  on  the  mid-vein  and  margins;  bright  green  and  glabrous 
above  ;  thin.     Rootstock  :  creeping. 

This  very  symmetrical  and  attractive  individual  which  we  find  in  cool, 
shady  woods  has  something  the  look  of  a  water  plant.  Unfortunately  it 
was  no  Jonger  in  bloom  when  I  saw  it  at  a  hi^h  elevation  in  the  piojuntain^ 


LILY-OF-THE-VALLF.Y  FAMILY.  59 

of  Tennessee,  but  it  appeared  perhaps  equally  effective  as  it  was  bej^inniiv^ 
to  ripen  its  deep  blue  fruit.  The  generic  name  is  in  honour  of  iJe  Witt 
Clinton. 

C.  borealis,  yellow  clintonia,  bears,  in  its  loose  umbel,  from  three  to  six 
drooping  flowers  which  are  yellow.  They  are  quite  as  large  again  as  those 
of  the  white  species,  and  it  is  but  seldom  that  a  small  leaf  occurs  midway 
on  the  scape.  The  fruit  is  black.  Also  at  high  altitudes  the  plant  grows, 
and  usually  in  the  trees'  dense  shade. 


HAIRY  DISPORUM. 

DisporuDi  hDiugiiibsuui. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

L ily-oj-the- 1  'alley. 

Yellozu. 

Scentless. 

Tennessee  and  Georgia 
northivard  to  New 
York  and  Ontario. 

April-June. 

Flmvers  :  solitary  or  a  few  growing  together  on  pubescent  pedicels.  Perianth  : 
bell-shaped,  with  six  linear-lanceolate  pointed  segments.  Slitfuetis  :  shorter  thaw 
the  perianth;  anthers  facing  outward.  Berries:  oval  ;  bright  scarlet;  smooth. 
Zf^/r'^j- .- alternate;  sessile;  lanceolate-ovate,  long  pointed  at  the  apex;  thin;  light 
green,  and  when  young  pubescent,  especially  along  the  well  defined  nerves.  Stem  : 
one  to  two  and  a  half  feet  high;  much  branched,  slightly  pubescent,  becoming 
smooth  at  maturity. 

So  leafy  is  often  the  stem  of  this  pretty  plant  that  it  is  sometimes  a  sur- 
prise to  find  its  bell-like  flowers.  In  rocky  woods,  it  grows  and  through 
the  Appalachian  system,  often  at  an  elevation  of  five  thousand  feet,  is  a 
noticeable  feature  of  the  vegetation. 

D.  macuhifntn,  spotted  disporum,  bears  flowers  similar  to  those  of  the 
hairy  disporum,  but  they  have  their  perianth  segments  covered  with  fine,  pur- 
plish dots.  Their  stamens  are  exserted  and  the  anthers  quite  conspicuous. 
It  is  abundant  near  Hot  Springs,  North  Carolina. 


TWISTED  STALK,  SESSILE=LEAVED  TWISTED  STALK. 

Sti't'piopus  rbscus. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Lily-of-the-Valley.       Rose-purple.         Scentless.        Georgia  nortk-.vard and       May-August. 

luestivard. 

Fhnvers:  small;  nodding  from  thread-like,  axillary  and  twisted  peduncles- 
Perianth:  bell-sha])ed,  with  six  lanceolate,  spreading,  recurved  segments.  Sta- 
7Hens :  six;  included.  Pistil :  one;  stigma  three-cleft.  Fruit :  a  globose,  red  berrv- 
Leaves:  alternate;  ovate-lanceolate;  long  pointed  at  the  apex,  rounded  and 
clasping  at  the  base;  ciliate  on  the  margin;  thin.     Stem  :  one  to  three  feet  high, 


6o  LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY   FAMILY. 

branched  above  and  sheathed  below  with  a  membraneous  scale,  the  young  growth 
slightly  pubescent. 

It  is  a  common  error,  and  one  in  which  for  a  long  time  I  shared  not  hav- 
ing seen  this  plant,  to  think  that  its  stalk  is  twisted;  for  the  popular  name  is 
altogether  in  allusion  to  the  twist  or  bend  which  occurs  at  about  the  middle 
of  its  fine  peduncles.  Almost  hidden  under  the  leaves,  the  dainty  flowers 
hang.  In  fact,  the  whole  effect  of  the  plant  is  that  of  a  superabundance  of 
leaf  and  very  little  flower.  By  the  side  of  a  high  mountain  stream  I  saw  it 
growing  when  in  North  Carolina. 


LILY=OF=THE=VALLEY.         flAY  LILY. 

Coiivalldria  majdlis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

LUy-of-the-Valley.  White.  Fragrant.  Va..  N.  C.  and  S.  C.  May,  June. 

Flowers:  nodding,  and  growing  loosely  in  a  one-sided  raceme;  their  pedicels 
thread-like  and  bracted  at  their  bases.  Feriajith  :  campanulate;  rounded,  the 
lobes  somewhat  recurved.  Stamens:  six;  included.  Pistil:  one.  Leaves: 
smooth  ;  large  ;  usually  two  which  arise  higher  than  the  flowers;  oval,  pointed  at 
the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  peti  )les.  Basal  scales  large,  one  sheathing 
the  erect,  angled  and  glabrous  scape. 

In  this  country,  it  is  only  in  the  higher  Alleghanies  that  the  lily-of-the-val- 
ley  is  found  growing  wild  and  absolutely  untrammelled  by  the  laws  of  culti- 
vation. But  there  on  the  mountain  slopes  it  flourishes  in  a  state  of  almost 
unrivalled  luxury,  especially  where  a  humid  atmosphere  prevails.  It  is  one 
of  the  group  of  plants  which  although  so  localized  in  the  south  is  apparently 
identical  with  relatives  which  grow  in  parts  of  Europe  and  Asia.  By  the 
mountaineers  it  is  known  mostly  as  the  "  May  lily,"  in  which  month  it 
begins  to  bloom.  It  then  casts  abroad  sufficient  fragrance  to  be  wafted  to  a 
considerable  distance.  In  all  parts  of  this  lovely  flower  there  is  a  poisonous 
crystalline  compound  known  as  convallamarin  which  causes  most  animals 
to  refuse  to  eat  of  it,  although  goats  and  sheep  appear  to  be  hardy  enough 
to  withstand  its  known  and  evil  action  on  the  heart. 


WAKE   ROBIN.     INDIAN    PINK. 

Trilliuni  slyVosuni. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Lily-o/-the-]'ailcy.    Rose  and  white.     Scentless.     Georgia  to  North  Carolina.    April.,  May. 

Flowers:    large;    solitary  at    the    end  of   long  recurved  peduncles.     Perianth: 
showing  three  lanceolate  short  sepals,  and  three  oblong  petals,  pointed  or  rounded 


LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY  FAMILY. 


6i 


at  the  apex  and  wavy  on  the  edges.  Shitiiciu  :  six,  with  long,  recurved  anthers. 
Stigmas:  slender,  united  below  the  middle.  Leaves:  growing  in  whorls  of  three 
at  the  summit  of  the  stem  ;  short  petioled  ;  oval-oblong;  poinied  at  both  ends; 
entire;  thin;  nearly  glabrous.  Slem  :  one  to  two  feet  high,  slender ;  smooth. 
Rootstvck:  tuberous. 


In  shady  glades  often  at  the 
bases  of  high  mountains  this 
very  pretty  trilliuni  grows  and 
is  one  that  is  peculiar  to  the 
south.  In  the  late  season  many 
that  walk  in  the  woods  stop 
and  wonder  at  the  distinctive 
and  oft-repeated  foliage  of  these 
low  herbs,  and  yet  have  no  idea 
that  earlier  in  the  season  they 
have  borne  the  showy  blossoms 
of  one  of  the  noted  trilliums,  a 
family  celebrated  for  its  beauty 
and  excellent  traits.  In  culti- 
vation, however,  we  see  every 
year  that  they  become  more 
popular.  Of  nearly  all  the 
genus  the  rhizomes  are  collected 
and  used  in  the  domestic 
practice  of  medicine  when  they 
serve  as  nerve  tonics.  Between 
the  various  species,  however, 
the  natives  make  considerable 
distinction. 


FAMILY 

L  ily-o/-th  e- 1  'a  Ucy. 


UNDERWOOD'S   WAKE=ROBIN. 


Trilliiun  Un  deriubodii. 


COLOUR 

Reddish  purple. 


ODOUR 

Like  iiiJisk. 


RANGE 
Teun.  and  X.  C. 
to  Ft  a.  and  Ala. 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 
April,  Mity. 


Flcnvers :  terminal  ;  sessile.  Perianth :  with  three  lanceolate  sepals,  pointed 
or  blunt  at  the  apex  and  three  oblong  or  oblanceolate  petals,  often  two  and  a 
half  inches  long.  Stamens  :  six,  with  long,  linear  anthers.  Lea-res  :  in  a  wliorl  of 
three  directly  below  the  flower;  orbicular  or  broadly  ovate,  pointed  at  the  apex 
and  rounded  or  narrowed  at  the  base  ;  entire  ;  thin.  Stem  :  erect  ;  simple  ;  some- 
times a  foot  and  a  half  high  and  sheathed  at  the  base  with  a  membraneous  scale. 
Rootstoek  :  horizontal. 


62  LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY  FAMILY. 

Before  this  trillium  was  described  by  Dr.  Small,  it  erroneously  passed 
under  the  name  of  Trillium  sessile.  Through  its  range  it  appears  to  be  the 
common  form,  where  it  grows  in  the  rich  soil  of  mountainous  ravines  and 
in  wooded,  ferny  places. 

T.  grandiflbrum,  large-flowered  wake- robin,  or  birthroot,  is  always  an 
agreeable  find  through  the  woods,  as  its  pure  white  flowers,  turning  later  to 
pink,  are  very  handsome,  and  when  many  of  them  grow  together  the  plant 
makes  an  especially  fine  showing.  Its  spreading  petals,  as  the  coloured  seg- 
ments of  the  perianth  are  commonly  called,  are  considerably  larger  than  the 
sepals,  or  set  of  green  ones,  often  approaching  in  fact  three  inches  in  length. 
The  plant  grows  from  ten  to  eighteen  feet  high  and  its  large  leaves^are 
whorled  just  below  the  base  of  the  flower's  peduncle.  From  Alissouri  to 
Quebec  its  range  extends,  and  it  is  not  uncommon  in  many  cool,  damp 
woods.     As  a  garden  plant  it  is  very  desirable. 

T.  ercctiun,  ill-scented  wake-robin,  or  nose  bleed,  is  known  by  its  hand- 
some nodding  flower,  reddish  in  its  gayest  ^orm,  or  sometimes  pink,  or  white. 
The  segments  of  its  perianth  are  lanceolate  and  the  so-called  petals  are 
but  little  longer  than  the  sepals.  But  the  flower  has  an  unexpected,  fetid 
odour  which  greatly  detracts  from  its  otherwise  agreeable  personality.  The 
mountain  people,  especially  those  of  the  Cumberland  and  Alleghanies,  find, 
however,  more  efficacious  results  from  the  use  of  this  species  of  trillium  in 
the  treatment  of  nervous  diseases  than  from  any  other  one.  From  Missouri 
it  extends  northward  to  Nova  Scotia. 

T.  cermium,  nodding  wake-robin,  has  a  flower  that  droops  very  much, 
in  fact,  it  is  often  quite  hidden  beneath  the  leaves.  Its  petals  are  pink  or 
white,  recurved  and  undulating  on  their  margins.  They  are  but  little  longer 
than  their  sepals.     The  range  of  the  plant  is  quite  extended. 

T.  sessile,  sessile-flowered  wake-robin,  is  a  small  plant  at  most  about 
twelve  inches  high.  Its  leaves  are  nearly  orbicular  and  about  the  purplish, 
sessile  flower  there  is  a  pleasant  fragrance.  Pennsylvania  is  the  limit  of  its 
progress  northward. 

THE  SMILAX  FAMILY. 

SniilacecE. 

Mostly  viJies,  with  usually  7voody  and  sometimes  prickly  stems  and 
simple^  alter7iate^  petiolcd  leaves  which  are  netted-7'eined.  At  the  bases  of 
the  petioles  arise  a  pair  of  persistent  tendrils  through  the  aid  of  7vhich 
the  plant  climbs.     Flowers  :  very  small ;   dicecious  j  mostly  green,  and 


THE  SMILAX  FAMILY.  63 

growi?ig  in  axillary  lunbcls.     Segments  of  the  per ia fit h  :  six.     Fruit  :  a 
rounded  berry. 

HISPID    GREENBRIER. 

Snultxx  liispida. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Siuiliix.         C>Lt)iuli.         ScciitU\ss.  Texas^and  I'ir^inia  to  _     May-Jiu'y. 

Ontario  and  xvestward.  Fruit:  Aut^mt. 

t'limers  :  regular;  growing  on  peduncles  in  axillary  umbels;  the  pistillate  ones, 
very  small.  Perianth  :  with  six  lanceolate,  pointed  segments.  Statnens  :  six,  the 
filaments  little  longer  than  the  anthers.  Berries:  bluish  black;  round.  Leaves  : 
ovate,  abruptlv  pointed  at  the  apex  and  cordate  or  blunt  at  the  base  ;  usually  seven- 
nerved,  entire';  bright  green  on  both  sides  ;  slightly  ciliate.  Stem  :  stout,  and  cov- 
ered thickly  with  straight  sharp  prickles.      Twigs  :  angled  ;  glabrous. 

This  vine  commonly  found  in  thickets,  and  climbing  as  it  does  by  means 
of  tendril-like  appendages  borne  at  the  bases  of  its  petioles,  is  one  of  the 
notable  features  of  the  early  autumn.  Often  it  forms  veritable  tangles  made 
almost  impassable  by  the  propensities  of  its  sharp  spines.  Then  its  blue- 
black  berries  are  ripening  and  the  leaves  show  almost  every  shade  of  yellow 
and  brown.  In  such  close  bunches  does  the  fruit  grow  that  once  when  I 
found  it  intermingled  with  that  of  a  wild  grape  vine,  it  was  with  some  diffi- 
culty I  separated  the  two  and  in  doing  so  was  mostly  guided  by  the  differ- 
ence between  the  clusters  and  the  fine  fragrance  of  the  grapes.  But  then 
naturally  the  leaves  of  both  vines  had  nearly  ceased  falling. 

LAUREL=LEAVED  GREENBRIER. 

Sniilax  laitrifblia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Stnilax.  Greenish  white.         Scentless.  Texas  and  Florida  March-August. 

to  New  Jersey.  Fruit:  Septonl^er. 

Flowers  :  very  small ;  growing  abuadantly  in  umbels  on  axillary,  squared  pedun- 
cles. Berries :  ovoid  or  globose,  ripening  in  their  second  year  when  they  become 
black.  Leaves:  with  short,  stout  petioles;  oblong  ;  ovate  or  oblanceolate,  pointed 
or  blunt  at  the  apex,  occasionally  projecting  the  midrib  and  narrowed  or  rounded 
at  the  base;  entire;  with  strong  marginal  veins;  coriaceous;  evergreen.  Stem: 
stout ;  climbing  ;  woody;  the  lower  part  armed  with  prickles  somewhat  over  one- 
quarter  of  an  inch  long. 

Through  the  lower  districts  especially  in  wet  places,  this  vine  is  seen 
climbing  by  means  of  its  tendrils  to  the  tops  of  very  high  trees.  Its  large 
spines  and  laurel-like,  evergreen  foliage  should  be  remembered  as  marks  of 
the  species.  As  is  true  of  nearly  all  the  genus  its  flowers  are  individually 
very  insignificant,  although  when  as  many  as  thirty  of  them  grow  in  one 
cluster,  which  is  not  unusual,  they  make  quite  a  fair  showing. 

.S*.  rotundifblia,  green  brier,  cat  brier,  or  common  bamboo,  grows  often  in 
thickets,  or  where  the  soil  is  moist,  and  is  prone  to  climb  as  high  as  thirty  or 
forty  feet.     Its  branchlets  are  slightly  angled  and  armed  with  stout  spines, 


64  THE  SMILAX  FAMILY. 

By  the   rounded,  cordate  leaves  which  are   deciduous,  the  species  may  be 
known,  and  also  by  its  bluish  black  berries  which  grow  in  umbels. 

S.  lanceolata,  lance-leaved  smilax,  throws  out  early  in  the  season  In  its  in- 
florescence an  abundance  of  bloom  which  is  white  and  fleecy  ;  but  it  is  in  the 
winter  time  that  the  vine  is  most  conspicuous.  Then  its  round  berries  have 
turned  to  red,  and  they  shine  brightly  among  the  lance-shaped  and  evergreen 
leaves.  From  Texas  and  Florida  to  Virginia  it  is  a  rather  frequent  inhabi- 
tant of  moist  thickets. 

One  other  species  is  known  which  bears  red  berries,  Walter's  smilax,  S. 
Walteri,  and  they  are  almost  coral  colour.  It  grows  through  our  range  in 
the  pine  barrens,  or  swamps  of  the  lower  district  where  thickets  prevail  and 
while  not  a  very  high  climber  is  found  running  over  bushes  or  even  ascending 
small  trees.  It  may  be  recognised  by  the  rounded  bases  of  the  leaf-blades. 
S.  bona-nox,  bristly  green  brier,  or  wild  sarsaparilla,  occurs  from  Florida 
to  New  England,  often  in  the  damp  ground  of  river  banks.  It  is  well 
marked  by  its  broadly  ovate  leaves  which  are  compressed  at  the  middle,  and 
deeply  cordate,  or  incline  to  form  tv.'o  rounded  lobes  at  the  base.  Fiddle- 
shaped  they  are  sometimes  said  to  be.  On  both  sides  they  are  green  and 
lustrous.  From  their  margins  occasionally  short,  fine  spines  are  pro- 
jected, while  again  they  are  quite  smooth.  On  the  branchlels  also  are  a  few 
rigid  prickles.  The  large  tuberous  rootstocks  of  this  species  and  those  of 
Smilax  Pseudo-China,  bamboo  brier,  are  collected  in  the  autumn  and  made 
into  a  drink  used  as  sarsaparilla. 

S.  aurictildta,  a  straggling  species  which  inhabits  Florida  and  places  near 
the  coast,  has  a  low  stem  forming  a  zig-zag  line  and  is  found  rambling 
over  many  small  shrubs.  It  is  but  slightly  prickly.  Tlie  stiff  leaves  are 
lanceolate,  often  inclined  to  form  two  broad,  blunt  lobes  at  their  bases  and 
sometimes  project  from  the  apfex,  the  midrib.  They  are  besides 
coriaceous  and  evergreen.  The  flowers  are  fragrant,  while  in  October 
many  bluish  black  berries  hang  from  the  vine. 

S.  piimila,  mostly  an  inhabitant  of  the  dry,  oak  woods  of  Florida 
and  South  Carolina,  has  large,  long  ovate  leaves,  deeply  cordate  at 
their  bases.  When  young  their  undersides  are  covered  as  are  the 
stems  and  petioles  with  a  dense,  brownish  grey  pubescence.  The 
berries  are  almost  white,  or  orange-yellow. 


PLATE   XX.     ATAMASCO   LILY.     .^Lrmosco  At.munco. 


66  THE  AMARYLLIS  FAMILY. 

THE  AMARYLLIS  FAMILY. 

A  maryllidacecE. 

Chiefly  stemlcss,  sjnooth  and  succulent  perennial  kerbs,  which  arise 
from  bulbs  or  ?'ootstocks,  and  have  scapose  or  leafy  stems  and  mostly  nar- 
row and  entire  leaves.  Perianth  :  six  parted,  or  lobed.  Stamens  :  six; 
style,  one.     Fruit  one  to  three-celled,  capsular. 

FALSE  ALOE. 

Agdve  Vzrgim'ca. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

A  maryllis. 

Greenish  yellow. 

Fragrant. 

Florida  and  Texas 
to  Maryland. 

J^'iy. 

Floxvers :  growing  in  a  long  spike  at  the  end  of  a  smooth,  bracted  scape,  the 
lower  ones  with  very  short  pedicels.  Fermnl/i :  tubular  ;  ascending,  expanding  at 
the  apex  and  having  six  short  lobes.  Stamens  :  six  ;  their  filaments  long,  thick  and 
greatly  exserted.  Sty/e  :  exserted  ;  three-lobed.  Capsule  :  ovoid,  and  showing  the 
persistent,  withered  perianth  at  its  apex.  Leaves  :  from  the  base ;  long  ;  narrow  ; 
pointed  at  the  apex,  and  sheath-like  about  the  stem  ;  rough  on  the  margins  ;  many 
nerved  ;  smooth  ;  thick.  Scape  :  two  to  six  feet  high  ;  smooth  ;  and  bearing  several 
close,  sharply-pointed  scales.     Rootstock  :  short. 

In  sterile,  or  dry  soil  this  pretty  plant  grows  and  is  rather  a  conspicuous 
individual  from  the  way  the  flowers  point  up  instead  of  turning  downward, 
as  is  the  habit  with  which  we  are  mostly  familiar.  Although  the  custom  is 
very  prevalent,  it  is  quite  improperly  that  the  agaves  are  called  aloes  and 
century  plants.  The  narrow-leaved  species,  such  as  the  present  one,  a  fact 
also  true  of  yuccas  with  this  characteristic,  are  again  known  to  the  natives 
of  the  south  and  southwest  under  the  name  of  "  palmilla."  Every  year  their 
roots  are  sought  and  used  domestically  as  a  curative  for  dyspepsia. 

Agave  Virginica  is  also  one  of  the  numerous  plants  credited  with  the 
power  of  being  a  rattle-snake  master. 

ATAMA5C0  LILY.    STAQGER=GRASS.    (Plate  XX.) 

Atamdsco  Atamdsco. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Amaryllis. 

White,  tinted  with 
purple. 

Scentless. 

Florida  and  Alabama, 
to  Virginia. 

March-June. 

Floivers :  solitary  at  the  end  of  the  scape  and  subtended  by  a  two-cleft,  mem- 
braneous bract.  Perianth:  funnel-form,  with  six,  rarely  eight  spreading,  pointed 
segments;  thin.  Stamens :  s\-x.;  shorter  than  and  inserted  on  the  throat  of  the 
perianth.  Anthers:  versatile.  Style:  consideral)ly  longer  than  the  stamens; 
three-cleft  at  the  apex.  Leaves:  from  the  base;  long;  grass-like;  smooth;  some- 
what fleshy  ;  lustrous.  Scape:  erect,  from  an  ovoid  bulb  coated  with  a  membrane- 
ous scale. 


THE  AMARYLLIS  FAMILY.  67 

So  fragile  and  elfin-like  is  this  beautiful  llower  that  it  seems  hardly  possi- 
ble it  should  withstand  the  fierce  winds  and  driving  rains  that  often  beat 
down  on  it  as  it  stands  the  solitary  sentinel  of  some  moist  place.  But  it 
fades  quickly,  sometimes  almost  before  it  has  fully  opened. 

A.  TreaticE,  a  species  wonderfully  similar  to  the  preceding,  is  found  in 
the  low  grounds  of  Eastern  Florida.  Its  leaves,  Jiowever,  are  without 
lustre,  and  are  rather  rounded  about  their  margins.  The  perianth  seg- 
ments also  are  somewhat  obtuse. 

ST.  JOHN'S  LILY.     AiTERICAN  CRINUIT. 

Cr 1 71  urn  A mericdn  uni . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Amaryllis,  White.  Fragrant.  Florida  atid  westward.  ISIay-October. 

Flowers :  large  ;  showy;  from  two  to  five  growing  erectly  in  an  umbel  at  the  sum- 
mit of  a  thick  scape.  Perianth  :  white  with  six,  H 11  ear-lanceolate,  spreading  seg- 
ments; shorter  than  the  greenish  tube.  Stamens:  six;  their  filaments  slender. 
Leaves  :  long;  strap-shaped,  or  linear  and  tapering  to  a  blunt  point  at  the  apex  ; 
remotely  toothed.  Scape:  one  to  two  feet  high;  thick;  rounded  on  the  edges; 
smooth.     Bulb  :  coated. 

One  of  the  most  potent  charms  of  the  unusual  scenery  along  the  banks  of 
the  St.  John's  river  in  Florida  is  the  tangled  masses  of  this  plant's  milk-white 
and  intensely  fragant  fiowers ;  and  so  luxuriantly  do  they  grow  that  morning 
glories  twine  about  them  and  they  dispute  the  soil  with  thrifty  sagittarias. 
So  spreading  and  slender  are  the  segments  of  their  perianth  that  the  greater 
number  of  natives  call  the  plant,  and  not  inappropriately,  the  "  spider  lily," 
although  this  name  seems  more  especially  to  belong  to  members  of  the  genus 
Hymenocallis.  It  is  a  rare  thing  to  find  the  flowers  in  perfect  condition  for 
even  before  they  are  fully  blown  they  are  devoured  by  grasshoppers  of  great 
size. 

SPIDER  LILY, 

Hymenocallis  Occident iilis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Amaryllis.  White.  Fragratit.         Georgia  and  TeJinesscc  J uly-Sepieml'cr. 

northwestward. 

Flowers :  very  large;  showy  ;  six  to  twelve  growing  in  an  umbel  at  the  end  of  a 
tall,  two-edged  scape;  the  flowers  being  subtended  by  lanceolate,  membraneous 
bracts.  Perianth  :  with  six  long,  very  slender,  spreading  divisions  which  unite  at 
their  bases  into  a  long,  cylindric  tube.  Stamens:  six;  their  filaments  long  and 
united  by  a  thin  formation  called  the  crown,  and  which  is  funnel-shajjed  with  six, 
toothed  lobes.  Anthers  :  long,  attached  at  the  middle.  Style:  slender  ;  greatly 
exserted.  Leaves:  from  the  base;  linear-oblong,  strap-shaped;  tapering  to  a  blunt 
point  at  the  apex;  smooth;  glaucous.     The  plant  arises  from  a  large  bulb. 

Amid  a  diversified  vegetation  of  exceeding  fruitfulness  and  beauty  this 


68  THE  AMARYLLIS  FAMILY. 

lily  exhales  its  almost  stupifying  breath,  so  redolent  is  it  of  an  intensely 
heavy  perfume.  Usually  it  grows  by  water,  but  it  is  not  dependent  on 
moisture  nor  confined  to  the  banks  of  the  rivers,  as  it  is  also  found  in  dry 
soil. 

As  a  genus  these  plants  are  known,  for  one  thing,  by  the  graceful  crown 
which  unites  their  fiUments,  and  which  gives  to  many  of  them  a  curious, 
although  enchanting  appearance. 

H.  lacera  is  quite  distinctive  from  the  preceding  species  ;  its  linear-oblong 
leaves  being  much  broader  and  also  because  of  the  flower's  almost  bowl- 
shaped  crown.  Often  its  slender  perianth  segments  are  fully  four  inches 
long.  It  is  only  seldom  that  more  than  two  flowers  are  borne  at  the  end  of 
the  scape. 

H.  crassifblia  bears  at  the  summit  of  its  scape  two  very  large,  yellow- 
ish white  flowers  which  have  a  greatly  extended  perianth-tube  and  a  large, 
funnel-shaped  crown.  The  leaves  are  strap-shaped,  erect  and  somewhat 
shorter  than  the  glaucous  scape.     In  Florida  it  is  found  through  low  barrens. 

STAR  GRASS. 

H\  'pox  is  jiincea. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Amaryllis.  Yellciv.  Scentless.  Fla.  afid  Gn.  ^vestward.  March^  April. 

Flowers  :  solitary,  or  a  few  growing  on  villous  pedicels  in  an  umbel  at  the  end 
of  a  slender  scape,  and  being  subtended  by  bristle-like  bracts.  Perianth:  with 
six,  oblong  i^ointed  segments,  widely  spreading,  the  outer  ones  greenish  and  hairy 
on  their  outsides.  Stamens:  inserted  at  the  base  of  the  perianth.  Filaments : 
short.  Stigjuas  :  three.  Leaves:  from  the  base,  grass-like  or  filiform;  sparingly 
hairy.     Scape :  four  to  nine  inches  long;  pubescent  towards  the  apex. 

From  a  small  rootstock  this  pretty  plant  springs,  and  is  truly  a  little 
missionary  of  light  and  cheerfulness  as  it  occurs  through  pine  barrens, 
where  from  a  long  distance  its  star-like  face  can  often  be  seen  peering  out 
from  the  grass.  There  is,  in  fact,  much  about  these  blossoms  to  suggest 
the  family  of  Sisyrinchiiuiis,  the  members  of  which,  however,  have  either 
blue  or  purple  flowers. 

H,  hirsiita,  yellow  star-grass,  is  very  similar  in  general  characteristics  to 
the  preceding  species.  In  detail  it  has  broader  leaves,  and  a  more  conspicu- 
ous woolly  white  pubescence.  Its  range  also  is  more  extended,  being  from 
Texas  and  Florida  to  Maine.  Formerly  the  little  plant  was  called  the  "  Star 
of  Bethlehem." 


'■^SklSL^ 


PLATE  XXI.     ST.  JOHNS  RIVER. 


"  City  of  Jacksonville  " 
St.  JohfCs  River. 

]Vhen  passing  through  Lake  George  we  had  been  al- 
most out  of  the  sight  of  land ;  but  as  the  river  narrowed  to  about 
twice  the  icidth  of  the  boat  and  became  tortuous  we  were  better 
able  to  see  the  vegetation  along  the  shores.  A  bald  cypress  had 
clinging  to  it  a  mistletoe  vine,  and  from  all  the  trees  hung  sway- 
ing masses  of  moss  tinting  the  scene  as  7vith  the  greyness  of  age 
and  subduing  the  cheerfulness  of  gay  bloomers.  But  seldojn, 
for  its  season  was  waning,  stood  high  a  great  sagittaria.  In 
abundance  the  fragrant  spider  lily  spread  its  slender  petals. 
Masses  of  the  moonflotver' s  leaves  prevented  its  being  forgotten, 
and  in  the  water,  appearing  like  a  great,  intensely  black  mirror, 
7aas  refected  brightly  a  pale  pink  and  waxen  morning  glory. 

(XXI.) 


THE  YAM  FAMILY.  69 

THE  YAH  FAHILY. 

/h'oscorCiU'Ca\ 

WILD  YAM=ROOT. 

Dioscorea  villosa. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Yam.        C>-t 

•enish  yellow. 

Sccnthss. 

Texas  nud    1-loridix  north- 
ward and  westwariL 

Ju,„:J„ly. 
J- nut:  Stpt. 

Flcnvers  :  small  ;  dicEcious  ;  regular  ;  growing  in  axillary  drooping  panicles  or  in 
spike-like  racemes.  Perianth:  divided  into  six  segments.  Capsule:  large;  nod- 
ding ;  rounded,  with  three  flaring,  membraneous  wings.  Leaves  :  simple  ;  alter- 
nate ;  or  the  lower  ones  o])posite,  with  long  smooth  petioles  ;  cordate  ;  seven  to 
thirteen  nerved  ;  entire;  bright  green  and  glabrous  above,  paler  below  and  covered 
with  a  white  pubescence  ;  thin.  A  woody,  twining  vine,  five  to  fifteen  feet  long; 
glabrous.     Rootstock  :  woody  ;  tuberous. 

Incur  species,  the  wild  yam  root,  are  typified  the  leading  characteristics 
of  the  {'AVi\\\^  Dioscoreacecu,  which  has  been  so  named  in  honour  of  the  Greek 
physician  and  eminent  writer  on  plants,  Dioscorides,  who  lived  in  the  time 
of  Nero.  Along  the  moist  thickets  of  river  banks  and  by  the  margins  of 
swamps  it  occurs  as  a  rather  common  and  graceful  vine,  becoming  most 
decorative  in  the  winter  when  its  inconspicuous  flowers  have  been  re- 
placed by  showy  racemes  of  curiously  winged  fruit.  In  the  autumn  the 
country  people  collect  the  rhizomes  as  they  have  some  efficacy  in  a  medicinal 
way. 

Of  a  number  of  the  tropical  species  the  rootstocks  are  very  large  and 
fleshy  and  are  the  "  yams,"  which  are  so  much  prized  as  articles  of  food. 

THE  IRIS  FAHILY. 

Iriddcca:. 

Herbs  with  equitaiit^  narroiv  leaves,  and  f>crfeefy  regular,  or  irregular 
flowers  subtended  by  braets  and  ic/iic/i  grozo  singly  or  in  e/iisters.  Peri- 
anth :  with  six  lobes  or  segments. 

DWARF  IRIS. 

Iris  7'th-na. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Iris.  Blue  or  purple  witJi         Fragra)it.  Ctori;ia  and  Kcn~  April,  .May. 

yell  07V  mar  icings.  tttcky  to  Pennsyhumia. 

Flcnvers  :  usually  solitary  and  growing  at  the  end  of  the  flower  stalk,  which  is 
sheathed  and  from  one  to  four  inches  high.    Periafit/i:  with  six  nearly  equal,  obovate 


70  THE  IRIS  FAMILY. 

segments,  crestless  and  narrowed  into  claws,  the  outer  ones  slightly  pubescent. 
Stamens  :  three,  inserted.  Ajithers  :  linear.  F/st//  :  one  ;  the  style  divided  into 
three  petal-like  parts  which  arch  over  the  stamens,  and  bear  under  their  lobed 
tips,  the  stigmas.  Leaves  ;  from  the  base,  equitant  or  folded  together  lengthwise; 
sword-shaped  ;  glaucous.     Rootstocks  :  horizontal. 

It  is  mostly  on  hillsides  or  through  the  dry  woods  of  the  middle  districts 
that  this  little  iris  arises,  and  its  exquisite  flowers  shine  brightly  amid  the 
trees'  dark  shade.  They  have  a  faint  sweet  fragrance  somewhat  similar  to 
that  of  violets.  The  underground  stems  of  the  irises  have  all  a  very  acrid, 
spicy  flavour  and  are  considerably  used  in  medicine.  From  some  of  the  cul- 
tivated species  the  renowned  orris-root  is  obtained, 

/,  cj'istdta,  crested  dwarf  iris,  also  a  small  southern  species,  is  found 
along  rocky  streams  or  in  moist,  grassy  places.  By  its  formation  it  would 
at  once  be  known  to  be  an  iris,  while  the  crested  feature  of  the  outer  peri- 
anth segments  adds  considerably  to  its  charm.  The  flower  is  blue,  and  the 
plant  spreads  by  the  means  of  a  creeping,  tuberous  rootstock.  Although  a 
lowly  individual  it  is  very  beautiful. 

/.  versicolor,  larger  blue  flag,  needs  little  introduction  to  the  majority  of 
readers,  as  its  regal,  beautiful  flower  claims  many  admirers.  Its  setting  is 
usually  that  of  a  low,  marshy  meadow,  or  it  grows  by  small  brooks  along  the 
roadsides.  In  the  autumn  the  rootstock  is  collected  by  the  people,  and 
by  an  old  Tennessee  mountaineer  I  was  told  that  to  carry  a  bit  of  it  in  the 
pocket  and  nibble  on  it  occasionally  would  prove  efficacious  in  the  most 
stubborn  case  of  indigestion.  Later,  however,  I  was  warned  that  the  same 
mountaineer  belonged  to  a  clan  of  notorious  liars,  but  also  was  assured 
that  that  air  statement  was  "  lowed  to  be  jest  so." 

"  Born  in  the   purple,  born  to  joy  and  pleasance, 
Thou  dost  not  toil  nor  spin, 
But  makest  glad  and  radiant  with  thy  presence 
The  meadow  and  the  lin." 

Longfellow. 

STOUT  BLUE=EYED  GRASS. 

Sisyriiichhim  grami7ioides. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Iris.  Blue.  .Scentless.  Gulf  States  to  Massachusetts.  April-Jtily. 

Flowers:  from  two  to  four  growing  in  terminal  umbels  and  subtended  by  two 
erect,  pointed  bracts.  Pedicels :  long,  thread-like.  Fenanth  :  with  six  spreading, 
obovate  segments,  their  middle  veins  projected  at  their  summits  ;  slightly  pubescent 
on  the  outsides.  Basal  leaves  :  erect  or  declined  ;  usually  somewhat  shorter  than 
the  stem  ;  grass-like  ;  rough  and  file-like  on  the  edges  ;  slightly  glaucous.  Stem  : 
twelve  to  eighteen  inches  high  ;  erect;  broadly  two-winged  ;  unequally  branched  at 
the  summit  and  having  a  grass-like  leaf  at  the  base  of  the  branches. 


THE  IRIS  FAMILY. 


71 


Many  of  us  know  these  cheery  Httle  blossoms  which  somehow  manage  to 
glance  out  at  us  from  amid  their  grass-like  leaves,  and  are  always  crisp  and 
bright-looking.  Of  this,  our  present  species,  the  leading  characteristics  are 
its  broadly  winged  stem,  the  rather  wide  leaves,  and  that  in  drying  it  turns 
to  black. 

In  the  south  there  are  many  species  of  this  genus  which  now  are  recog- 
nised by  a  number  of  botanists,  whereas,  formerly,  the  books  which  were 
supposed  to  cover  the  field  did  not  describe  more  than  one  or  two. 

5.  Atld7iiicuin,  eastern  blue-eyed  grass,  is  a  coastal  species  which  occurs 
from  Florida  to  Newfoundland.  Usually  it  inhabits  dry  or  moist  soil,  or 
grows  in  brackish,  sandy  places.  By  its  very  narrow  leaves,  v^'hich  are  con- 
siderably stouter  than  the  stems,  and  its  much  branched  inflorescence  it 
may  be  known.     The  flowers  are  rather  a  pale  blue,  often  with  a  lilac  tint. 

S.  scabrclliim  is  one  from  the  mountains  which  has  rough  and  minutely 
scabrous  leaves.  Its  rather  small  flowers  grow  closely  at  the  summit  of  the 
stem  from  where  a  grass-like  bract  arises  above  them. 

THE  CANNA  FAHILY. 
Caniiacece. 

Herbs  ivith  simple,  alternate  leaves  which  are  sheathed  and  have 
numerous  parallel-veins  diverging  widely  from  their  midrib  ;  the  flowers 
being  irregular  with  three  sepals  and  six-parted  corollas. 

INDIAN  SHOT. 

Cdiina  flaccida. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Canna. 

Silver-yellow. 

Scentless. 

Florida  to  South 
Carolina. 

June- A  ugust. 

Floiuers :  large  ;  showy  ;  solitary,  or  more  usually  a  few  growing  in  the  spike. 
Calyx  :  with  three  linear-lanceolate  pointed  sepals,  often  two  inches  h^ng.  Corolla  : 
funnel-form,  six-parted,  the  three  exterior  divisions  reflexed  and  similar  to  the 
sepals  ;  the  three  interior  ones,  unequal  and  yellow.  Stamens  :  with  petal-like 
filaments.  Capsule :  densely  covered  with  bristles.  Leaves  :  nine  to  fifteen  inches 
long  ;  lanceolate;  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  long 
petioles  which  sheathe  the  stem  ;  entire  ;  smooth  with  parallel  divergent  veins. 
Stem  :  two  to  four  feet  high  ;  stout ;  leafy. 

In  the  deep  recesses  of  inaccessible,  miry  swamps,  especially  those  of 
eastern  and  western  Florida  and  near  Jacksonville,  this  beautiful  plant 
attains  to  the  acme  of  its  development.  Its  growth  is  then  graceful  and 
the  blossoms  very  lovely.  It  would  seem  as  though  the  plant  should  do  well 
in  cultivation  although  it  is  little  known  to   most    of  us  in   gardens.     The 


72  THE  CANNA  FAMILY. 

genus,  however,  is  very  susceptible  of  improvement  as  has   been   vi'idely 
shown  by  the  results  obtained  with  other  species. 


ARROWROOT  FAfllLY. 

MarantdcecB, 

POWDERY  THALIA. 

Thalia  dealbata. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Arrowroot.  Purple  Scentless.  Texas  to  S.  Carolina.  Jiitie-September. 

Flozuers  :  perfect;  irregular;  growing  \\\  a  panicled  spike  at  the  end  of  a  scape 
three  to  six  feet  long,  and  having  narrow,  early  falling  bracts  at  the  bases  of  the 
pedicels.  Sepals:  three;  minute;  equal.  Petals:  three,  slightly  coherent  at  the 
base.  Imperfect  sia7}ieiis :  slightly  coherent;  one  of  them  broad  and  crested.  Per- 
fect stamen :  one.  Capsule :  ovoid.  Leaves :  from  the  base,  very  large,  with 
smooth  petioles,  one  to  two  or  three  feet  long  and  swollen  at  the  lower  extremity; 
ovate  ;  pointed  at  the  apex  and  squared,  rounded  or  sub-cordate  at  the  base  ;  entire 
with  parallel,  divergent  veins. 

This  striking  looking  plant  which  in  the  beginning  was  discovered  by  Mr. 
John  Fraser  near  Jacksonborough,  South  Carolina,  then  became  lost  to 
botanists  until  it  was  refound  by  Mr.  Middleton  along  the  banks  of  the  Ash- 
ley river.'  It  there  flourished  in  great  abundance.  Perhaps  its  most  unusual 
characteristic  is  the  powder-like  substance  which  covers  it  and  by  which  it 
maybe  distinguished  from  any  other  one  of  its  relatives.  About  the  flowers 
there  appear  always  to  hover  many  large  bumble  bees  which  act  as  their 
agents  in  cross-fertilization,  and  as  soon  as  this  has  taken  place  they 
quickly  wither. 

T.  divat'icala  is  known  by  its  more  open,  divergent  inflorescence  and  the 
zig-zag  line  which  is  formed  by  the  peduncles.  The  flower's  bracts  are 
membraneous,  very  long  and  pubescent  on  their  outsides.  The  leaves  are 
similar  to  those  of  the  preceding  species  ;  but  on  the  plant  there  is  no  pow- 
dery substance. 

THE  ORCHID  FAHILY. 

OrcJiidacea;. 
A  large  group  of  perennial  herbs  with  bulbs,  conns,    or  fibrous,  or 
tuberous  roots  and  either  scale-like^  or  foliaceons^  simple,  entire  leaves^ 


THE  ORCHID  FAMILY.  73 

sheathed  at  their  bases.  The /lowers  are  perfect,  irregular,  always  sub- 
tended by  a  braet,  and  grow  either  solitary  or  in  raeeines,  or  spikes ;  havifig 
a  perianth  of  two  sets  of  three  divisions  eaeh  answering  to  sepals  and 
petals.  Usually  the  sepals  are  eoloured  and  petal-like.  So7ni  times  by  a 
twist  of  the  ovary,  or  pedicel  ivhat  would  naturally  be  the  upper  petal  is 
brought  down  and  takes  the  place  of  the  lower  petal,  or  lip.  Stamens :  vari- 
ously united  with  the  style.  With  the  exception  of  the  Cypripeditwis 
which  have  two  a?ithers,  the  order  has  but  one,  which  is  two-celled.  Stigma 
glutinous.  On  either  side  of  this  stigma  is  a  cell  of  the  aJither  where  the 
pollen  grains  are  collected  in  little  pear- shaped  ??tasses. 


LARGE  YELLOW  LADY»S  SLIPPER. 

Cypripediuin   hirsiduni . 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid. 

1  'cllow. 

Scentless. 

Alabama  fiorthivard 
to  Nova  Scotia. 

May-Juue. 

Flowers  :  large  ;  terminal  ;  mostly  solitary;  subtended  by  a  leaf-like,  erect  and 
pointed  bract.  Sepals:  long;  ovate-lanceolate.  Petals:  narrower  than  the  sepals 
and  curling,  the  lip  much  inflated,  one  and  a  quarter  inches  broad,  forming  a 
pouch  with  a  rounded  orifice  ;  veined  with  brown,  or  i)ur])le,  and  tufted  on  the 
inside  with  white  hairs.  Leaves:  alternate;  oval  or  ovate,  pointed  at  the  apex 
and  clasping  the  stem  at  the  base  ;  parallel  veined  ;  pubescent.  Stem  :  one  to 
two  feet  high  ;  leafy;  pubescent. 

Great  wanderers  over  the  globe  are  the  orchids,  and  sometimes  it  is  as  diffi- 
cult to  trace  their  footsteps  as  it  is  the  mystical,  mysterious  sensations  they 
produce.  It  has  been  said  that  they  are  the  gypsies  of  the  plant  world,  for 
they  have  a  vagrant  tendency  and  some  are  seldom  content  to  confine 
themselves  to  the  same  locality.  But  in  spite  of  their  lack,  perhaps,  of  con- 
stancy there  are  few  families  that  can  vie  with  them  in  diversity,  in  coquet- 
tishness,  and  in  possessing  the  subtle  trait  of  charm. 

The  large  yellow  lady's  slipper  is  one  of  the  common  ones  which  we  are 
always  glad  to  find  in  the  thickets  and  deep  woods.  Its  manner  of  growth  is 
well  defined  and  we  would  be  loath  to  pass  it  by,  once  having  been  attracted 
by  the  quaint  curling  of  its  lateral  petals. 

C.  parviflbruin,  small  yellow  lady's  slipper,  grows  often  very  closely  to  the 
larger  one  and  of  which  it  appears  to  be  a  small  imitation.  It  is  also, 
however,  found  through  bogs  and  swamps.  Occasionally,  when  it  is  unusu- 
ally well  grown  and  its  relative  is  somewhat  undersized,  they  might  al- 
most be  taken  for  the  same  species,  were  it  not  that  the  little  one  is  fragrant 
and  has  a  lip  of  a  deeper  shade  of  yellow.  It  always  remains  a  slender 
plant  even  when  growing  to  the  height  of  a  foot  and  a  half.     The  lip  is  be- 


74  THE  ORCHID  FAMILY. 

tween  half  an  inch  and  an  inch  long.  Of  both  these  plants  the  roots  are 
gathered  and  used  by  chemists  as  a  substitute  for  valerian. 

C.  acaide,  moccasin  fiower,  pink  lady's  slipper,  or  Noah's  ark  as  it  is 
locally  called,  is  another  elhn-like  species  possessed  of  singular  charm,  and 
which  also  has  a  delicate  fragrance  noticeable  sometimes  about  even  the 
foliage.  In  a  solitary  way  the  large  blossom  grows  on  a  pubescent,  leafless 
scape  of  from  six  to  twelve  inches  high.  Its  spreading  sepals  are  oblong- 
lanceolate  and  purplish,  while  the  two  lateral  petals  are  narrower,  pointed 
and  of  much  the  same  colour.  But  the  most  attractive  part  of  the  flower  is 
its  large,  inflated  lip.  This  is  rosy  pink  and  veined  with  purple  or  less 
often  of  a  pure  white.  Long  after  June  when  the  bloom  has  passed  away 
there  remains  as  a  feature  of  deep  woods  and  rocky  places  the  plant's  two 
elliptical  leaves  which  sheathe  the  scape  near  its  base.  They  are  marked 
by  a  roughish  pubescence  and  are  ciliate  about  the  edges.  From  Ten- 
nessee it  grows  along  the  coast  to  Ontario  and  westward. 

C.  regincE,  showy  lady's  slipper,  {Plate  XXII.),  must  ever  inspire  a  keen 
admiration  in  all  who  are  fortunate  enough  to  see  its  fair  loveliness.  In 
fact,  by  Dr.  Gray  it  was  regarded  as  the  most  beautiful  of  the  genus.  The 
sepals  and  petals  of  the  large  flowers  are  pure  white  while  the  lip  is  tinted 
with  pink  and  marked  and  dotted  with  deep  magenta.  It  is  much  inflated  and 
has  an  oblong  orifice.  These  flowers  have  also  the  charm  of  fragrance.  At 
the  summit  of  the  pubescent  and  leafy  stem  one  or  occasionally  about  three 
flowers  burst  into  bloom.  They  are  an  exquisite  sight.  The  leaves  are  el- 
liptical, ciliate  on  the  margins  and  finely  pubescent  and  in  manner  of 
growth  suggest  the  foliage  of  Cypripedium  hirsutum.  From  June  until 
August  there  is  for  those  that  seek  a  chance  of  finding  these  rare  flowers  in 
the  woods  and  swamps,  and  about  as  far  southward  as  Georgia. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  to  recall  that  this  species,  as  well  as  a  related  and 
larger  one  in  South  Africa,  was  at  one  time  thought  to  have  taken  for  its 
flowers  the  form  of  a  great  spider,  the  habit  of  which  is  to  catch  small  birds 
and  insects  and  then  poison  them  by  the  venom  of  its  bite.  Being  alarmed 
by  the  resemblance,  it  was  further  presumed  that  humming  birds  shunned 
the  plant  and  its  nectar  was  thus  preserved   from  their  plundering. 

SHOWY  ORCHID.     SPRING  ORCHID. 

OrcJiis  spectdbilis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid.  White  and pici-plish         Fragrant.  Georgia  and  Kentucky  April-JiDic. 

pink.  northward  and  lucstward. 

Flmvers  :  growing  loosely  in  a  short,  terminal  spike  and  being  subtended  by 
large,  foliacious  bracts.  Sepals:  somewhat  united  and  forming  a  sort  of  hood; 
petals  converging  under  the  petals.   Lip  :  white  ;  spreading  and  about  equalling  the 


PLATE  XXII,     SHOWY   LADY'S  SLIPPER,     Vvtr. 


vpriptiiiuni   rei^iuu-. 

COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY  FREDERICK   A     STOKES   COMPANY 
PRINTED   IN  AMERICA 


^/',4r>.^! 


PLATE  XXIII.     YELLOW  FRINGED  ORCHID.     Hahomria  cilLnis. 

(75) 


76  THE  ORCHID  FAMILY. 

petals  ;  spur  obtuse,  two-thirds  of  an  inch  long.  Leaves  :  two  only,  growing  from 
near  the  base  of  the  scape  and  below  which  are  several  membraneous  scales-  thev 
are  obovate,  or  oval,  blunt-pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  sheath- 
ing petioles;  smooth;  shiny.   S/em  :  hve  to  twelve  inches  high;  five  angled-  smooth. 

A  widely  distributed  little  plant  this  is  over  the  country  and  also  one  of 
the  gayest  of  the  genus,  appearing  through  rich  woods  as  an  elfin-like  thing 
where  tall  trees  and  bolder  plants  are  congregated.  Here  it  attracts  the 
hungry  bees  which  find  in  its  tube  an  abundant  supply  of  nectar. 

It  is  one  of  the  orchids  that  springs  from  a  tuberous  root,  and  as  such 
finds  favour  with  the  country  people  in  the  preparation  of  a  highly  nourish- 
ing food  for  children.  Those  of  the  family  with  fibrous  roots  are  mostly 
used  as  a  cure  for  diseases  of  a  nervous  nature.  But  even  in  parts  of  the 
south  where  the  natives  seem  to  know  the  most  about  the  practical  uses  of 
plants  they  drink  these  decoctions  in  almost  unlimited  quantities,  by  the 
gallon,  in  fact,  and  therefore  incur  an  ill,  rather  than  good  result. 


YELLOW  FRINGED  ORCHID.    RATTLESNAKE'S  MASTER. 

(J^/afe  XXIII) 
Habendria  cilidrzs. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid. 

Orange. 

Scentless. 

Florida  and  Texas  to 
Ontario. 

July-September. 

Floivers  :  crowded  in  an  oblong,  showy  spike,  and  subtended  by  lanceolate, 
pointed  bracts.  Sepals:  broadly  ovate,  the  lateral  ones  retlexed  Petals :  smaller 
than  the  sepals;  oblong,  or  wedge-shaped  ;  mostly  toothed.  Lip :  very  deeply  and 
delicately  fringed  and  projecting  a  long,  slender  'spur.  Lea7'es  :  lanceolate,  acute 
at  the  apex  and  clasping  at  the  base;  thick;  smooth;  the  upper  ones  much  reduced 
in  size.     S/etn  :  one  to  three  feet  high  ;  leafy;  smooth. 

Through  wet  meadows  and  in  woods,  sometimes  even  venturing  to  the 
dry,  packed  soil  of  mountain  roads  this  handsome  orchid  appears  as  one  of 
the  treasures  of  late  summer.  Its  personality  is  always  distinctive,  although 
in  colour  its  blossoms  vary  from  a  deep,  rich  orange  to  a  pale,  almost 
indefinite  tint.  A  wet  meadow  where  these  plants  grew  in  abundance  pre- 
sented to  my  mind  the  effect  of  its  being  traversed  by  a  brilliant  flame  ;  but 
in  the  mountainous  districts  where  they  often  occurred  in  dry  soil,  I  noticed 
that  they  were  mostly  very  pale.  The  yellow  fringed  orchid  is  one  of  the 
plants  that  appeals  strongly  to  the  native  mountaineers  who  respect  it  as  a 
rattlesnake's  master.  In  its  deeply  fringed  lip  they  claim  a  resemblance  to 
the  forked  tongue  of  the  snake,  while  the  anther  sacs  represent  to  them  his 
fangs.  But  although  staunchly  asserting  the  efficacy  of  various  plants  in 
this  cause  the  conscientious  native,  when  asked  if  he  would  rely  on  one  for 
his  own  cure,  usually  answers  :  "  Wall  no,  I'd  take  whiskey." 


PLATE  XXIV.     PAQGED  ORCHID.     Hjbcuaria  laccra, 
07) 


78  THE  ORCHID  FAMILY. 

H,  Idcera,  ragged  orchid  {Plate  XXIV),  grows  at  times  as  high  as  two 
feet.  It  is  a  slender  plant  with  lanceolate,  firm-looking  leaves  and  a  spike 
of  loosely  arranged,  greenish  yellow  flowers.  They  have  a  ragged,  unkempt 
looking  lip  divided  into  three  narrow  segments,  the  fringe  of  each  being  long 
and  thread-like.  The  other  petals  are  entire  and  linear,  while  the  spur  is 
dilated  and  curved.  At  their  apices  the  broad  sepals  are  quite  blunt.  The 
larger  of  the  bracts  which  subtend  the  flowers  measure  about  an  inch  long 
and  when  young  are  of  a  vivid,  intense  green. 

H.  cristata^  crested  yellow  orchid,  which  is  found  in  bogs  and  swamps 
from  Louisiana  and  Florida  to  New  Jersey,  is  also  a  tall  and  slender  species. 
Its  oblong  spike  is  from  two  to  four  inches  long  and  bears  many  small 
orange  coloured  flowers,  which,  were  it  not  for  the  brilliancy  of  their  colour, 
would  be  quite  overshadowed  by  their  long,  lanceolate  and  very  green  bracts. 
All  about  the  lip  is  bordered  with  a  delicate,  fine  fringe  which  occurs  slightly 
on  the  other  petals,  or  they  are  jagged  at  their  summits.  The  lower  leaves 
are  linear-lanceolate,  seven  or  at  most  eight  inches  long,  while  the  upper 
ones  are  small  and  similar  to  the  bracts. 

H.  Michauxiixs,  perhaps,  the  most  eccentric  appearing  member  of  the 
genus,  a  circumstance  brought  about  by  the  phenomenal  length  of  the  spur, 
it  being  often  quite  two  inches  long.  Indeed  these  strange  little  white 
flowers  have  a  look  as  though  they  might  fly  in  the  air,  as  though  like  kites 
they  were  provided  with  tails.  The  lip  near  its  base  is  parted  into  three  seg- 
ments, the  lateral  divisions  being  longer  and  narrower  than  the  middle  one. 
The  lower  lobes  of  the  petals  are  also  linear  or  thread-like,  and  twice  as  long 
as  the  upper  ones  while  the  ovate  sepals  are  pointed  at  their  apices.  In  Au- 
gust the  plant  is  found  in  blow  through  the  wet  pine  lands  of  Florida  and  it 
extends  as  far  northward  as  North  Carolina.  Late  in  the  autumn  its  oblong, 
or  ovate  leaves  turn  to  varied  shades  of  red  and  orange. 

H.  nivea^  southern  small  white  orchid,  grows  also  in  moist  pine  barrens. 
It  is  a  dainty  plant,  tall  and  slender  with  linear  leaves  and  an  oblong  close 
spike  of  white  flowers,  the  sepals  of  which  are  oblong  and  somewhat  en- 
larged at  their  bases,  while  the  spurs  are  very  slender  and  as  long  or  longer 
than  the  ovary. 

H.  clavellata,  small  green  wood  orchid,  bears  flowers  which  are  quite  as 
often  a  pure  waxy  white  as  they  are  green.  The  plant  is  seldom  found 
much  over  fifteen  inches  high  and  bears  usually  but  one  large  stem  leaf 
which  is  oblanceolate.  The  smaller  ones  which  appear  above  this  leaf  are 
similar  to  bracts.  The  sepals  and  petals  of  the  flowers  are  ovate  and  their 
arrangement  is  such  that  they  have  an  attractive  wing-like  appearance.  At 
its  apex  the  lip  is  inconspicuously  three-toothed  and  the  projected  spur  is  in- 
curved and  club  shaped.     On  the  high  mountains  of  the  Appalachian  system 


PLATE  XXV.     LARGE   PURPLE-FRINGED  ORCHID.     H.ibaurij  grandijlora. 

179) 


8o  THE  ORCHID  FAMILY. 

and  in  moist,  wooded  places  where  perhaps  trails  a  small  stream  the  plant 
grows  well,  its  range  from  Florida  and  Louisiana  extends  northward  to 
Newfoundland. 

H.  flciva^  small  pale  green  orchid,  is  readily  known  by  its  long,  loose 
spike  of  tiny  green  flowers  and  their  large  sharp-pointed  bracts.  The  sepals 
are  greenish  yellow.  The  lip  which  is  but  little  longer  than  the  other  petals 
is  a  strange  formation  having  two  blunt  side  teeth,  and  is  well  worth  placing 
under  a  microscope.  Sometimes  the  plant  grows  as  high  as  two  feet.  It 
has  a  leafy  stem,  the  foliage  being  lanceolate,  oval  or  elliptical,  thin  and 
smooth. 

H.grandijlq^a,  large  purple-fringed  orchid,  {Plate  XXV.)  is  the  largest 
and  handsomest  of  the  group  of  so-called  purple-fringed  orchids,  and  un- 
doubtedly one  of  our  most  regal  wild  flowers.  Its  abundant  inflorescence 
of  a  bright,  pinkish  lavender  is  exceedingly  showy.  Often  the  lip  occurs 
quite  an  inch  long  in  robust  plants.  It  is  three-parted,  appearing  fan-shaped 
and  is  terminated  by  a  deep,  delicate  fringe.  Backward  it  extends  into  a 
long,  slender  spur.  The  upper  sepals  and  petals  are  erect,  the  latter  slightly 
toothed.  Occasionally  these  beautiful  flowers  are  heavily  fragrant  and  occur 
also  in  an  almost  white  form.  The  leafage  of  the  stem  is  oval  or  lanceolate 
and  blunt  at  the  apices.  From  one  to  five  feet  high  the  plant  grows  and 
from  June  until  August  throws  out  its  bloom.  It  probably  does  not  extend 
further  southward  than  North  Carolina. 

H.  psycbdes,  small  purple-fringed  orchid,  is  very  like,  but  smaller  than  the 
preceding  plant ;  its  racemes  being  seldom  over  six  inches  long  and  always 
marked  by  a  faint  fragrance.  In  meadows  and  swamps  it  grows,  greatly,  it 
would  seem,  preferring  the  latter  and  at  an  ascent  in  North  Carolina  of  6,000 
feet. 

H.  peram&na,  fringeless  purple  orchid,  {Plate  XXVI?)  is  found  in  moist 
meadows,  or  by  the  borders  of  mountain  streams  from  Kentucky  and  Vir- 
ginia northward  to  New  Jersey.  It  is  a  plant  tall  and  striking  in  appearance, 
although  the  flower's  lip  has  not  the  delicate  fringe  which  makes  so  attrac- 
tive its  near  relatives.  This  part,  however,  is  deeply  divided  into  three 
spreading,  fan-shaped  segments,  the  middle  one  being  the  larger  and  having 
two  lobes,  which,  at  their  summits,  are  irregularly  toothed.  The  elliptical,  or 
lanceolate  leaves  sheathe  the  stem  at  their  bases.  Those  near  the  flowers 
are  very  small. 


".Ml  W 

PLATE  XXVI.     FRINGELESS  PURPLE  ORCHID.     Hjbciuina  pcranm-uj. 

(8i) 


82 


THE  ORCHID  FAMILY. 


WHORLED  POQONIA.     {^Plate  XXVII.) 


Pogbnia  verticiUdta. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid.  Greenish^  yello%v  and  Scentless.  Florida  to  Ontario  April-June, 

purple.  and  zvesttvard. 

Flowers:  terminal;  solitary;  erect  or  declined.  SepaFs  :  one  and  a  quarter  to 
two  inches  long;  spreading.  Petals:  shorter  than  the  sepals;  oblong;  erect, 
blunt  at  the  apex.  Lip:  three-lobed,  crested  along  a  narrow  line.  Leaves:  five; 
growing  below  the  flowers  in  a  whorl  at  the  summit  of  the  stem ;  oval  or 
obovate;  abruptly  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base;  sessile  ;  parallel- 
veined;  thin;  smooth.     Stem:  eight  to  twelve  inches  high. 

Through  the  early  spring  this  one  of  the  orchids  is  sometimes  found 
almost  hidden  in  shady  ravines  and  deep,  moist  woods.     Its  flowers  have 

rather  a  strange  and  rakish  air  from  the  un- 
usual length  of  their  sepals  ;  a  feature,  how- 
ever, not  unusual  in  the  genus,  although  some 
other  members  have  the  sepals  and  petals 
alike.  Another  mark  of  the  pogonias  is  that 
they  mostly  all  have  a  crested  and  three-lobed 

P.  divaricdta,  spreading  pogonia,  bears  also 
a  scraggly  looking  flower  as  its  three  linear 
and  divergent  sepals,  which  are  a  deep, 
reddish  purple,  are  considerably 
longer  than  the  flesh  coloured  and 
lanceolate  petals.  The  middle  lobe 
of  the  lip  is  somewhat  longer  than  the 
other  two  and  is  crested  and  crenate 
about  its  edges.  In  foliage  the  plant 
resembles  the  rose  pogonia,  the  upper 
bract-like  leaf,  however,  being  quite 
long  and  linear.  From  April  until 
July  the  plant  is  considerably  seen 
through  the  swamps  of  Florida  and 
from  there  it  extends  northward  to 
New  Jersey. 

P.  ophioglosoides,  rose  pogonia  or 
snake-mouth,  is  a  sprightly,  quaint 
looking  little  plant.  Usually  it  grows 
from  five  to  seven  inches  high,  al- 
though it  is  known  to  occur  taller. 
But  two  leaves  are  developed,  one  about  midway  on  the  stem  while  the 
other,  which  is  smaller,  appears   just  below   the  flower.     In  reality,   this 


Rose  Po^oma 


PLATE  XXVII.     WHORLED  POGONIA.     Pogoni,  vcrlicilUla 
(83) 


84  THE  ORCHID  FAMILY. 

latter  is  a  bract.  Both  are  sessile  and  oblong,  or  lanceolate.  The  flower 
is  but  slightly  inclined  ;  of  a  pale  rosy  colour  and  faintly  fragrant  as  are  red 
raspberries.  Its  spatulate  lip  which  is  fringed  about  and  gaily  crested  with 
yellow  is  longer  than  the  other  petals  and  sepals.  They  are  oval,  and,  as 
with  the  following  species,  all  about  the  same  size.  The  plant  spreads  itself 
by  runners.  In  the  latter  part  of  May  after  a  long  and  disappointing  hunt 
through  wet  meadows  and  swamps  where  the  rose  pogonia  usually  gro\\-s,  I 
found  a  small  one  that  had  strayed  to  the  roadside's  edge  and  there  grew 
contentedly  in  dry,  hard  packed  soil, 

P.  tria7ithdj)Jiora,  nodding  pogonia,  {Plate  XXVIII),  is  a  little  beauty, 
which  although  indigenous  from  Florida  to  Rhode  Island  and  westward  is 
still  a  rare  find  through  the  woods  of  midsummer.  In  general  it  bears  three 
small,  slightly  tinted  white  flowers  which  are  erect  when  young,  but  soon 
nod  from  their  slender,  axillary  peduncles.  So  quaint  and  dainty  are  these 
blossoms  that  they  have  tempted  the  usually  unresponsive  mountaineers 
through  the  Alleghanies  to  indulge  in  a  bit  of  sentiment.  They  call  the 
plant,  "  the  three  birds."  In  construction  the  flowers  show  the  traits  of  the 
pogonias,  the  clawed  lip,  however,  is  not  crested,  although  rather  rough  on  its 
face.  It  is  slightly  three-Iobed.  The  leaves  are  small,  alternate  and  broadly 
ovate.  On  taking  up  one  of  these  plants  the  tuberous  root  appeared  to  me 
as  a  revelation.  Like  a  small  peanut  it  was  in  shape,  perfectly  white  and 
almost  transparent. 

NODDING  LADY'S   TRESSES.     {Plate  XXIX.) 
Gyrostdchys  cerfiua. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid.  IVkite^or yelloiuish.         Fragrant.         Florida  and  Louisiana       August-October. 

northward  and  westward. 

Flowers  :  slightly  nodding,  and  growing  closely  in  a  spiral  way  on  an  untwisted 
stem.  Bracts:  lanceolate  ;  arched:  pointed  and  pubescent.  Lateral  sepals  :  slen- 
der and  somewhat  ])ubescent  on  the  outside;  the  upper  one,  arched.  L//> :  oblong; 
rounded  and  crisped  at  the  aj^ex.  Leaves:  those  near  the  base,  linear  or  linear 
oblong,  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  a  long  sheathing 
]Detiole.  Occurring  on  the  stem  also  are  several  small,  sliarj^Iy-pointed  bracts. 
Stem  :  usually  eight  to  ten  inches  high,  or  occasionally  as  tall  as  two  feet;  pubes- 
cent especially  near  the  summit. 

There  is  a  charm  about  the  tall,  sprightly  form  of  this  orchid  as  in  its  wild 
state  it  appears  suddenly  and  seems  to  form  a  part  of  the  woodland  scene 
or  moist  strip  of  country  through  which  it  grows.  Happily  it  is  one  of  the 
commonest  of  the  genus,  and  lingers  in  bloom  until  late  in  the  season,  being 
in  fact  the  last  of  the  orchids  to  be  sought  for.  In  the  well  known  gorge^ 
between  Hampton  and  Roan  Mountain  station,  Tennessee,  I  w^as  delighted 
to  find  a  notable  specimen,     It  grew  in  a  mossy,  damp  place  within  the 


PLATE  XXVIII.     NODDING   POGONIA.     Pogonia  triaiitliopliora. 
(85) 


PLATE  XXIX.     NODDING  LADY'S   TRESSES.     Gyrosiachys  ccniua. 
TWISTED  ORCHID.     Gyrostachjys  brevi/olia, 
(86) 


THE  ORCHID  FAMILY.  87 

shade  of  a  purple-flowering  raspberry.  Very  dense  was  its  spike  of  bloom, 
a  little  over  eight  inches  long,  while  the  fragrance  it  exhaled  told  of  its 
presence. 

The  spiral  or  one-sided  arrangement  of  such  small,  white  flowers  is 
usually  a  mark  distinctive  enough  to  relegate  them  to  this  genus. 

G.  brevifblia,  twisted  orchid,  {Plate  XXIX),  blossoms  through  October 
and  November  in  the  pine  barren  swamps  of  western  Florida.  To  the 
botanist  it  is  interesting  from  its  apparent  lack  of  foliage  and  the  one-sided, 
regular  way  in  which  the  small  flowers  grow,  an  effect  produced  by  the 
twisting  of  the  spike.  Occasionally  near  the  base  is  discerned  a  linear- 
lanceolate  leaf  about  an  inch  and  a  quarter  long,  or  again,  as  it  shortly 
withers,  the  stems  are  destitute  of  all  leafage  excepting  their  close  bracts. 

G.  gracilis,  slender  lady's  tresses,  bears  its  white  flowers  also  on  a  much 
twisted  spike  which  makes  them  appear  one-sided.  They  are  very  small, 
the  perianth  being  hardly  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  inch  broad.  The  tiny 
lip  is  crisped  and  slightly  marked  in  the  middle  with  green.  The  basal 
leaves  are  from  a  half  to  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  obovate,  and  at  their  base 
taper  into  petioles.  Very  early  in  the  season  they  wither,  leaving  only  the 
small,  also  deciduous  bracts.  According  to  its  location,  for  the  plant  has  an 
extended  range,  it  may  be  found  in  bloom  from  April  until  October. 

G.prcecox,  grass-leaved  lady's  tresses,  a  slender  plant,  is  known  by  its 
fine,  linear  leaves  which  grow  near  the  base  of  its  stem,  and  the  bracts  above 
them  which  are  close  and  scale-like.  On  the  much  twisted  spikes  are  many 
small,  white,  or  yellowish  flowers.  There  is  a  short  claw  to  the  lip  which 
latter  organ  is  crenulate  at  its  summit,  and  through  the  centre  often  striped 
with  a  darker  colour.  In  Florida  the  plant  blooms  in  April  while  as  far 
northward  as  New  York  it  delays  until  July. 

DOWNY  RATTLESNAKE  PLANTAIN.     {Plate  AAA.) 
Pcrdtniuui  pubi'scens. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid.         Greenish  white.         Scentless.  Florida  and  Tennessee  July,  August. 

northward  to  New  Foundland. 

Flmvers:  growing  from  all  sides  of  a  bracted  spike  and  at  the  summit  of  a 
scape  which  bears  several  small  leaf-like  scales.  Lateral  sepals  :  free;  ovate;  the 
upper  one  united  with  the  two  petals  and  forming  an  ovate  galea.  Lip  :  sessile ;  sac- 
like; entire;  the  tip  recurved.  Leaves:  tufted  about  the  base ;  oval  or  ovate, 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  extending  into  margined  petioles;  entire;  conspicuously 
veined  with  white.     Seape  :  six  to  eighteen  inches  high;  densely  pubescent. 

On  the  faces  of  these  little  flowers  can  be  read  nothing  but  thoughts  of 
beauty,  and  of  the  modesty  of  their  design  ;  but  with  the  strange-looking 
leaves  it  is  different.  Their  curious  blotching  and  veining  with  white  gives 
them  an  uncertain  air,  and  moreover  they   have  for  a   long  time,  through 


PLATE   XXX.     DOWNY  RATTLESNAKE    PLANTAIN.     PciJinium  puhcscens. 
KIDNEY-LEAF  TWAYBLADE.     Listcra  Smalli. 


THE  ORCHID  FAMILY.  89 

their  supposed  likeness  to  the  skin  of  a  rattlesnake,  been  associated  with 
that  creature.  In  fact,  all  through  the  mountainous  regions  of  the  south  the 
natives  affirm  their  belief  in  these  leaves  as  an  unfailing  cure  for  the  bites  of 
snakes,  a  tradition  which  has  in  all  probability  been  transmitted  to  them 
through  the  slaves  in  the  cotton  belt. 

In  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina  where  this  plant  frequently  ascends 
to  an  elevation  of  4,000  feet  above  the  sea  there  is  also  a  form  of  Peramiuin 
repeals,  a  species  known  as  a  native  of  boreal  and  arctic  Europe,  and  Alpine 
and  more  northern  stations  in  America.  From  Peramium  pubescens  it  may 
be  distinguished  by  its  strictly  one-sided  spike.  It  is  the  Peramiian 
rc'pcns  variety  ophioides. 

KIDNEY=LEAF  TWAYBLADE.     {^Plate  XXX) 
List  a- a  Suialli. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid. 

GrcenisJi. 

Scentless. 

Mn 

}-y/aH(/^  I'irginia  and 
North  Carolina. 

J  It  lie. 

Flowers :  very  small,  growing  in  a  slender  raceme  from  one  half  to  four  inches 
long.  Bracts:  tiny;  lanceolate,  ^'d'/rt'/^.*  reflexed  ;  linear,  or  linear-oblong.  Lip: 
wedge-shaped  ;  deeply  cleft  at  the  apex,  the  sinus  being  V-shaped,  and  having  two 
prominent  teeth  near  the  base.  Leaves:  two  only  ;  opposite  and  growing  about 
midway  on  the  stem;  sessile;  reniform;  abrui)tly  pointed  at  the  apex  and  cordate 
or  sub-cordate  at  the  base,  the  mid-vein  projecting  a  minute  point;  slightly  pubes- 
cent underneath.  Stem:  four  to  tweh^e  inches  high;  erect;  slender  ;  densely 
pubescent  on  the  upper  part.     A'ools  :  long  ;  thread-like. 

It  is  more  as  a  curiosity  than  anything  else  that  this  little  orchid  receives 
attention,  for  in  appearance  it  is  most  insignificant.  In  damp  mountainous 
places  where  it  grows  the  eye  must  indeed  be  alert  to  see  it  at  all,  while 
under  the  great  rhododendron  thickets,  where  perhaps  it  loves  best  to  hide, 
one  must  descend  to  hands  and  knees  and  search  for  it  in  that  way. 

Z.  australis,  southern  twayblade,  is  found  in  bogs  and  wet  places  from 
Louisiana  and  Florida  to  New  York.  Its  tiny,  yellowish  green  flowers  are 
delicately  striped  wnth  purple.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  extremely  small, 
but  the  lip  is  much  larger  than  they,  although  at  most  it  measures  but  half 
an  inch  long.  Nearly  to  the  base  it  is  cleft  into  two  linear  segments.  The 
two  opposite  leaves  below  the  raceme  are  ovate  and  lustrous. 

LARGE  TWAYBLADE.     {Plate  A  AAV.) 

Lcpt orchis  liliifblia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid.  Dull  lilac  or  pinkish  Scentless.  Georgia  to  Mai  ue  and  May-July, 

droivn.  ivestivard. 

Flcnvers :  showy  ;  growing  in  a  terminal  raceme  on  an  angled  scape  from  four 
to  ten  inches  high.     Sepals  and  petals  reflexed,  the  latter  thread-like.     Lip  :  large  ; 


90  THE  ORCHID  FAMILY. 

erect ;  somewhat  obovate,  and  uneven  on  its  edges.  Column :  incurved.  Ca/)- 
snles:  erect.  Leaves  :  two  only  ;  oval  ;  mostly  obtuse  at  the  apices  and  sheath- 
ing the  scape  at  their  bases  ;  entire  ;  thin,  shiny,     /^oot :  a  bulb. 

Among  many  forms  of  growth  which  had  gained  a  footing  in  earth-filled 

niches  of  high,  towering  rocks,  through  the  rugged  wilds  of  western  North 

Carolina,  I    found   at  the  base   of  an  old  tree   this  interesting  one  of   the 

orchids.     Its  raceme  of  graceful  flowers  had  then  faded   and  its  thin  leaves 

had  turned  from  their  usual  tint  of  pale  apple-green   to  a  shade    of  yellow, 

quite  in  harmony  with  the  young  capsules.     A  few  of  these  latter  had  already 

opened  and  were  dispersing  their  powdery  seeds.     Earlier  in  the  season,  even 

while  the  bloom  is  in  the  prime  of  its  beauty,  I  have  sometimes  noticed  that 

these  leaves  show  tints  of  vermillion  and  orange. 


GREEN  ADDER'S  MOUTH. 

AcJwodnthes  iinifblia. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid. 

Greenish. 

Santless. 

Florida  and  Alabama  to 
New  Foimdland  and  westward. 

Jtdy. 

Floivey-s  :  small  ;  growing  on  thread-like  pedicels  in  a  terminal  raceme  from  one 
to  three  inches  long.  Sepals:  oblong  ;  spreading.  Petals:  thread-like,  shorter 
than  the  sepals.  Lip:  broad  ;  three  toothed.  Leaves :  broadly  ovate,  or  ap- 
proaching orbicular  ;  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex;  entire  ;  thin  ;  smooth,  clasping 
the  stem  near  the  middle.     Stem  :  four  to  ten  inches  high  ;  smooth. 

That  orchids  are  not  always  beautiful  is  well  exemplified  by  this  rather 
poor  looking  plant  which  contributes  but  little  to  the  beauty  of  the  woods  and 
thickets  where  it  grows.  As  we  know,  however,  many  such  are  of  botanical 
interest  as  showing  various  forms  of  structure  and  making  comparisons 
possible  between  the  high  and  lowly  of  the  same  family. 

CALOPOQON,  GRASS  PINK. 

Lt?noddriim  tuber osiim. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid. 

Magenta  pink. 

Fragrant. 

Florida  and  Missouri 
to  New  Foundland. 

May-July. 

Flowers  :  large  ;  showy  ;  a  few  growing  loosely  in  a  spike  at  the  end  of  a  slender 
scape  twelve  inches  to  two  feet  high,  and  being  subtended  by  minute,  pointed 
bracts.  Sepals  and  lateral  petals  somewhat  similar  ;  spreading  ;  ovate-lanceolate. 
Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  ovary  is  not  twisted,  the  lip  which  is  raised  by  a  narrow 
stalk  remains  on  the  upper  side  of  the  flower.  It  is  triangular  or  broadly  obcor- 
date,  and  beautifully  crested  with  rose-coloured,  orange  and  white  hairs.  Leaves  : 
linear-oblanceolate  ;  pointed  at  the  apex  and  sheathed  near  the  base  of  the  scape 
which  near  the  base  bears  several  scales.     Root:  a  small  bulb. 

This  one  of  our  orchids  with  its  beautiful  and  eccentric  air  usually  grows 
in  swampy  ground,  or  peat  bogs  and  has  often  for  its  companion  the  pretty 


PLATE  XXXi.     LARGE  TWAYBLADE.     Leptorchis  liliifolia. 
(90 


g2 


THE  ORCHID  FAMILY. 


little  rose  pogonia,  or  some  other  of  its  clan.  As  the  name  Calopogon  signi- 
fies, its  lip  is  exquisitely  bearded  with  gay  colours  which  act  as  a  lure,  no 
doubt,  to  hungry  insects.  It  is  also  a  very  different 
structure  from  the  lips  of  many  other  orchids,  such 
for  instance,  as  the  Cyp7'ipediujns.  Rather  than 
being  a  pouch  it  forms  a  sort  of  arched  roof,  and 
owing  to  its  position  on  the  upper  side  of  the 
flower  gives  it  something  the  appearance  of  being 
upside  down.  So  lightly  attached  is  this  curious 
structure  that  it  can  be  lightly  moved  up  and  down 
by  the  finger,  much  as  though  it  were  on  a  hinge. 

Z.  initltifiorum  bears  many  more  flowers  than 
does  the  grass  pink  although  they  are  not  so 
large,  being  more  the  size  of  those  of  L.  parvi- 
florum.  The  bracts,  however,  that  subtend  them 
are  somewhat  longer  than  those  of  these  species. 
From  western  Florida  to  the  coast  of  Alabama  the 
plant  occurs  and  is  somewhat  of  a  rarity.  It  is 
moreover  very  beautiful.  So  kindled,  in  fact,  was 
Dr.  Chapman's  enthusiasm  concerning  it  that  in 
his  eighty  third  year  he  walked  thirteen  miles  to 
see  it  growing  in  its  native  habitat. 

L.  pallidum  produces  but  one  linear  leaf  and  a  scape  with  sometimes  as 
many  as  twenty  white  flowers  which  are  tinted  with  purple.  It  is  tall  and 
slender.  Near  the  coast  it  grows  from  Florida  to  North  Carolina  being 
mostly  found  in  wet  pine  barrens. 

L.  parviflbrmn  grows  in  similar  places  and  is  a  very  slender  species,  its 
linear  leaf  being  almost  thread-like.  On  the  scape  the  bright  purple  flowers 
number  from  three  to  six  and  as  early  as  March  they  coriie  into  bloom. 


Liniodoritm  tjiberostnn. 


LARGE  CORAL=ROOT.     {Plate  XXX  11.) 

Corallo7-h  isa  in ultifibra . 


FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR 

Orchid.         Brown  mid piirplish.         S-ccntless. 


RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Florida  and  Missotiri  Jti7ie-Septc)>ilHr. 

iiortliivard  attd  westward. 


Flowers :  growing  on  short  pedicels  in  a  loose,  terminal  raceme  on  a  purplish 
scape  from  eight  to  twenty  inches  high  and  naked  with  the  exccDtion  of  a  few, 
close  scales.  Sepals  and  petals:  similar;  narrowly  lanceolate.  Lip:  purplish 
white;  ovate;  spurred,  deeply;  three-lobed,  the  middle  one  being  broader  than 
the  others  and  crenulate  on  the  margins.  Capsule:  oblong,  drooping.  Leaves: 
none.     Rootstock  :   much  branched  and  toothed  in  a  way  similar  to  coral. 

No  blaze  of  colour  ever  comes  from  this  genus  ;  its  members  are  among 

the  modest,  unpretentious  ones  of  the  great  order,  OrchidacecE.     But  snug- 


}^ 


-C 


1^ 


3i 


^T. 


PLATE  XXXII.     LARGE  CORAL-ROOT.     CoulloilniJ  miillijlorj. 
(93) 


94  THE  ORCHID  FAMILY. 

gling  among  the  soft  tints  of  midsummer,  they  arise  as  curious  individuals 
ready  to  pique  the  interest  of  the  flower  seeker.  They  have  all  purplish 
scapes  and  until  late  in  the  season  when  often  they  are  surrounded  by  dead 
leaves  they  stand  erectly;  several  of  them  frequently  growing  together. 
Among  the  number  which  have  specific  differences  are  : 

C.  odontorhiza,  small  fiowered  coral-root,  v^'hich  occurs  from  Florida  and 
Missouri  to  Massachusetts  may  be  known  from  the  preceding  species  by 
its  smaller  size  and  because  its  oval  lip  is  entire,  or  but  very  slightly  toothed. 
In  North  Carolina  where  it  grows  on  the  high  mountains,  the  people  make 
quite  a  little  revenue  from  gathering  its  coral-like  rootstock  which  they  sell 
to  chemists. 

C.  Corallorhiza^  early  coral-root,  is  also  a  small  plant  of  from  five  to 
twelve  inches  high.  From  the  north  it  extends  southward  to  Georgia  and 
is  mostly  an  inhabitant  of  the  mountains.  It  blooms  in  May  and  June. 
The  flowers  are  yellowish,  or  dull  purple  and  grow  on  very  short  and 
minutely  bract ed  pedicels.  The  twice-toothed  lip  is  noticeably  shorter  than 
the  other  petals. 

CRESTED  CORAL=ROOT. 

Hexalcctris  aphyllus . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid.  Dull  purplish.  Scentless.  Missouri  and  Florida        July-Septeinder. 

to  South  Carolina. 

Flowers:  large;  growing  on  very  short  pedicels  in  a  loose  raceme  at  the  end  of 
a  stout  scape,  ten  to  twenty  inches  high  and  bearing  a  number  of  purplish  scales, 
the  upper  ones  being  lanceolate.  Sepals  and  petals:  similar;  narrowly  oblong; 
pointed  or  blunt  at  the  apex  and  marked  with  purple  lines.  Lip:  short;  obovate; 
broad;  slightly  three-lobed,  the  middle  one  being  the  longer,  rounded  and  ere- 
nate  ;  crested.     Leaves  :  none.     Rootstock :  fleshy,  branched  similar  to  coral. 

Through  southeastern  America  and  Mexico  this  plant  is  monotypic  of  its 
genus.  It  growls  in  rich,  shaded  soil,  and  the  flowers  with  their  crested  lips 
are  rather  pretty. 

ADAM=AND=EVE.     PUTTY=ROOT. 

Apiectrwn  spicdtuni. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid. 

Dull  yellow  a7 
purple. 

id 

Scentless. 

Florida  and  Georgia  to 
Ontario  and  ivestivard. 

May-Septe7nber. 

Flowers  :  growing  loosely  on  short  pedicels  in  a  raceme  at  the  end  of  a  smooth 
scape,  twelve  inches  to  two  feet  high  and  which  is  clothed  with  three  or  more 
slender  and  membraneous  scales.  Sepals  and  petals :  similar;  linear-lanceolate. 
I^ip:  clawed;  shorter  than  the  other  petals,  slightly  three-lobed  and  wavy  on  the 
margins.  Cohinin:  curved.  Leaf:  one  only,  arising  in  the  late  autumn  from  the 
corm;  oval  or  elliptical  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  a  margined  petiole. 


PLATE  XXXIII.     CRANE-FLY  ORCHID.     Tipularia  uuifolia. 
(95) 


96  THE  ORCHID  FAMILY. 

Although  the  spurless  flowers  of  this  plant  are  not  at  all  showy  there  is 
still  considerable  interest  attached  to  it  as  being  the  representative  of  a 
nionotypic  genus.  A  single  leaf  it  bears,  which  comes  up  late  in  the  autumn, 
remains  green  and  full  of  life  through  the  winter,  or  until  the  plant  in  the 
spring  puts  forth  signs  of  flowering.  Then  it  dies  down  to  the  corm.  With 
Tipularia  uni/o/ia  this  is  also  a  characteristic  and  is  illustrated  in  Plate 
XXXI 11.  Another  curious  point  is  that  when  the  plant  is  uprooted  there 
are  found  to  be  as  in  a  chain  several  old  corms  attached  in  succession  to 
the  one  of  the  present  season.  It  was  perhaps  a  young  plant  that  had  borne 
but  two  which  suggested  to  the  donor  of  its  popular  name,  Adam  and  Eve, 
hand  in  hand.  The  name  putty-root  is  in  reference  to  the  thick  cement- 
Uke  substance  within  these  corms  and  which  has  been  used  to  fill  up 
crevices. 

CRANE=FLY  ORCHID.     {Plate  XXXIII.) 

Tip  III  aria  unifblia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid.         Green  striped  7vith         Scentless.         Louisiana  and  Florida  July.,  August, 

purple.  to  I'irginia  and  westward. 

Flozvers :  growing  on  thread-like  pedicels  loosely  in  a  bractless  raceme  on  a 
smooth,  pale  green  scape  of  from  ten  to  twenty  inches  high  which  arises  from  a 
bulb  and  is  sheathed  at  the  base  with  several  scales.  Sepals  and  petals  :  \\wt?,x., 
spreading.  Lip  :  equalling  or  shorter  than  the  petals;  three-lobed  ;  the  middle 
lobe,  long,  narrow  and  projected  into  a  very  long,  slender  spur  which  is  straight, 
or  but  slightly  curved.  Leaf :  one  only,  arising  from  a  separate  lateral  bulb  and 
appearing  late  in  the  autumn  ;  ovate,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base 
into  a  sheathed  petiole  ;  entire  or  slightly  puckered  on  the  margins. 

Although  in  the  mountains  of  Himalaya  there  is  another  species  known  to 
exist,  this  plant  is  the  only  American  representative  of  the  genus.  It  is, 
moreover,  rare  and  local  and  when  found  is  usually  growing  in  soil  that  is 
shaded  and  moist.  It  is  a  strange- looking  plant ;  the  flowers  resembling 
scrawny  insects  whose  generic  name  is  Tipiila.  After  the  plant  has  ap- 
parently perished  in  the  autumn,  one  dark  green  leaf  springs  up  and  lasts 
over  the  winter.  Often  it  is  quite  attractive,  mingling  on  its  surfaces  bright 
shades  of  red  and  purple,  but  never  is  it  seen  at  the  same  time  as  the  flower- 
ing scape. 

Bletia  Vereciinda. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid.  Dark  green.  Scentless.  Southern  Florida.  July-October. 

Flowers  :  numerous  ;  quite  large  ;  growing  in  a  raceme  at  the  end  of  a  lateral 
scape  often  three  and  a  half  feet  high,  and  clothed  with  several  sheathing,  mem- 
braneous bracts.  Bracts  of  the  inflorescence  one  half  to  one  and  a  half  inches 
long,  linear.   Sepals  and  petals  :  spreading,  similar  ;  the  former  lanceolate,  the  latter 


THE  ORCHID  FAMILY.  97 

shorter  and  obtuse.  Lip  :  three-lobecl,  the  middle  one  of  which  is  reddisli,  purple 
and  crested.  Lem'cs  :  usually  three  ;  from  the  base  ;  sheathed,  linear-lanceolate  ; 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base.     Kootsiock  :  tuberous. 

This  Ijletia,  a  curious  enough  litllc  plant  aiul  the  only  representation  of 
its  genus  throu,:j;h  our  range  is  also  strongly  illustrative  of  one  of  the  orchid's 
peculiar  traits.  In  all  the  species,  as  in  the  milkweeds,  the  pollen  grains  are 
concentrated  into  tiny  masses,  called  pollinia.  Sometimes  they  are  in  pairs 
of  two  or  four,  or  again  as  in  our  present  plant  there  are  eight  wa.xy  masses. 
Later  these  become  powdery  and  are  connected  by  most  filmy,  elastic  tissues. 

TREE  ORCHID. 

EpidcndruDi  conopseiim. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orchid.  Puy/>iis/i  grct'H.         Sce/itiess.         Florida  to  South  Carolina.  August. 

Flozvers  :  growing  loosely  on  thread-like  pedicels  in  a  long  raceme  at  the  end  of 
a  tall  scape.  Bracts:  linear,  pointed.  Sepals:  oblanceolaie;  spreading;  petals 
similar,  narrower.  Lip:  clawed;  three-lobed  ;  the  middle  one  notched  at  the 
apex.  Leaves:  one  to  three,  sheathed  near  the  base  of  the  scape;  linear-lanceolate; 
about  two  and  a  half  inches  long;  thick.     Roots  :  spreading;  much  branched. 

From  the  wild  orchids  that  have  already  been  mentioned  this  one  is  very 
different,  belonging  as  it  does  to  the  group  which  cling  to  the  branches  of 
trees  through  their  spreading  and  matted  roots.  On  such  notable  individuals 
of  the  south  as  the  magnolias  it  loves  best  to  grow,  although  tiear  Jackson- 
ville I  saw  it  also,  hanging  from  a  great  live  oak  by  the  river,  and  on  which 
the  little  thing  had  apparently  found  some  difficulty  in  finding  much  bark 
riot  already  monopolised  by  the  long  moss. 

E.  venosu/n,  which  also  grows  on  trees,  is  a  much  larger  plant  than  its 
relative  ;  its  leaves  being  often  eight  inches  long,  and  the  flowering  scape  as 
high  as  tw^o  feet.  Near  its  base  the  scales  are  very  membraneous  and  in 
colour  ashy  grey. 


THE  LIZARD'S  TAIL  FAHILY. 

LIZARD'S  TAIL.     {J'/a/e  XXX/V.) 
Sent)  it }- us  en- /lit Its. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Lizard  s  tail.      Crt\i)n-ivh  ite.       l-'ragraiit .  llorida  to   Con  ncttiiut  .1/./r-.  )«.<■/' >/•. 

along  the  coast,  and  ivt-stward. 

Fiirioers :  minute;  incomplete;  growing   densely  in  an  axillary,  curved  s[iike,  on 


PLATE  XXXIV.     LIZARD'S  TAIL.     Saunirus  cerniius. 
(98) 


THE  LIZARD'S  TAIL  FAMILY.  99 

a  long,  smooth  peduncle.  Perianth:  none.  Stamens:  six  to  eight,  spreading, 
their  filaments  thread-like.  Leaves:  alternate,  with  petioles  which  sheathe  the 
stem  at  the  nodes;  cordate,  deeply  so  at  the  base  and  long  j^ointed  at  the  apex; 
entire;  thin;  palmately  five  to  nine  ribbed ;  glabrous  at  maturity.  Stem:  two  to 
five  feet  high;   branched  towards  the  summit ;  jointed. 

Growing  in  the  shallow  water  of  marshes  or  by  the  ponds'  side  there  is 
hardly  a  more  attractive  plant  than  the  lizard's  tail,  although  when  a  soli- 
tary one  is  found  it  needs  to  be  looked  at  closely  before  its  full  beauty  is  seen. 
As,  however,  many  of  them  raise  together  their  tail-like  spikes  of  fluffy, 
fragrant  bloom  the  effect  they  produce  is  charming,  and  each  spike  endures 
for  several  days.  There  is  but  one  other  member  of  its  genus,  a  native  of 
Asia.     In  aquatic  gardens  the  eastern  American  species  is  largely  cultivated. 


THE  WALNUT  FAfllLY. 

JiiglandacecB. 

Iiichidiiig  trees  with  compound,  alternate  leaves  which  have  odd- 
pinnate  and  nearly  sessile  leaflets  and  which  bear  mona'cioits,  inconspicu- 
ous flowers  ;  the  sterile  ones  of  which  gro7v  in  drooping  ainents  zchile  the 
fertile  ones  are  clustered,  or  solitary.     Drupes :  large. 

BLACK  WALNUT. 

fiiglans  nigra. 

FAMILY               SHAPE                HEIGHT                                     RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Walnut.           Rounded.         30 -60-1 50 /^^/f.            Texas  and  Florida  north-  April.,   May. 

ward  to  Massachusetts  Fruit:  October, 
and  ivestward. 

Bark:  blackish;  rough  with  broad  ridges.  Tivigs  :  pubescent.  Lea^'es  :  \\\i\\ 
slightly  pubescent  stalks  from  one  to  two  feet  long.  Leaflets  :  thirteen  to  twenty- 
three;  ovate-lanceolate,  taper-pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded  or  slightly  cordate 
at  the  base,  the  sides  often  unequal  and  the  lower  j^air  being  smaller  than  the 
others;  sharply  toothed  ;  yellowish  green  above  and  glabrous,  paler  below  and 
l^ubescent.  Staminate  ameiifs  :  long  and  thick,  axillary  in  the  leaf  scars  of  the 
preceding  year.  Fruit :  large  ;  globose  ;  usually  solitarv,  the  husk  greenish  yel- 
low when  ripe  and  dotted  with  brownish  red;  spongy  and  decaying  to  release  the 
nut.  N'lit :  black;  deeply  and  sharply  furrowed,  and  containing  a  rich,  highly 
flavoured  kernel. 

There  are  few  trees  indeed  that  hold  a  more  assured  place  in  the  plant 
world  than  the  black  walnuts.  In  personality  they  are  attractive  with  foliage 
which  is  noticeable  from  the  odd-pinnate  growth  of  its  leaflets  ;  their  nuts 
are  abundant  in  a  richly  flavoured,  oily  meat ;  while  in  commerce    their 


loo  THE  WALNUT  FAMILY. 

timber  has  been  of  such  inestimable  value  that  it  is  fast  becoming  exhausted 
throughout  the  country. 

In  West  Virginia  there  is  clinging  to  this  tree  a  bit  of  folk-lore  which 
asserts  that  no  weeds  will  grow  under  its  shade.  It  is  therefore  in  such 
places  that  the  people  are  prone  to  seek  their  best  sods.  In  explanation  of 
this  curious  fact  it  has  been  suggested  that  as  the  tree  flourishes  in  unusually 
rich  soil,  the  grass  about  it  is  sufficiently  lusty  to  choke  out  any  weeds  that 
might  there  venture  to  spring  up.  Had  the  tree  been  protected  by  some  such 
myth  as  that  of  its  being  inhabited  by  a  spirit,  one  not  unusual  in  ancient 
lore,  it  would  probably  not  have  been  so  recklessly  destroyed  by  the  axe  as 
has  been  the  case  during  the  last  century. 

J.  cinerea,  white  walnut,  oil-nut  or  butter-nut,  is  a  tree  of  smaller  size  than 
the  black  walnut  and  from  which  in  one  way  it  can  always  be  known  by  the 
dissimilarity  of  its  fruit.  Within  an  oblong,  pointed  husk  densely  viscid  and 
disagreeable  to  the  touch  its  nut  is  enclosed.  The  shell  moreover  is  very 
rough  and  vertically  ridged.  The  under  sides  of  the  leaves  retain  always 
their  pubescence,  and  even  at  maturity  there  are  sometimes  traces  of  it  to  be 
seen  on  their  upper  surfaces.  When  very  young  these  leaves  are  almost  a 
pale  yellow,  but  become  as  they  grow  older  a  deep  green.  Through  the 
south  it  would  seem  that  the  tree  is  most  generally  called  white  walnut,  while 
northward  it  is  best  known  as  the  butter-nut. 


NUTMEG  HICKORY.     {Plate  XXXV.) 
Hicbria  inyristiccpfbrmis. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Walnut.     Croivn^  ofen,  narrozu.    Zo-\oq feet.     Alabama  to  South  Carolina.  April. 

Bark:  brownish  red;  broken  irregularly  into  thin  scales.  Leaves:  odd-pin- 
nate, with  five  to  eleven  obovate  or  ovate-lanceolate,  almost  sessile  leaflets,  pointed 
at  the  apex  and  squared  or  rounded  at  the  base,  the  terminal  one  wedge-shaped 
and  having  a  very  short  petiole  ;  serrate  ;  at  maturity  glabrous  above,  silvery  white 
and  very. lustrous  below  ;  when  young,  covered  underneath  with  a  reddish  pubes- 
cence. Fruit :  enclosed  within  an  oval,  or  oblong  thin  husk  ;  four  ridged  and 
splitting  when  ripe  to  the  base;  scurfy  pubescent.  Nuts  :  oval  ;  smooth,  reddish 
brown  and  mottled  with  grey.     Kernel:  sweet. 

Although  this  tree  resembles  in  growth  the  pig-nut  hickory  it  is  far  more 
beautiful,  the  under  surfaces  of  its  leaves  being  so  highly  lustrous  as  to  add 
an  intense  charm  to  its  foliage.  It  is  very  local,  but  through  different  sec- 
tions of  the  country  has  been  found  to  flourish,  in  various  kinds  of  soil.  In 
the  calcareous  soil  of  Alabama,  and  in  Mississippi  towards  the  central  part 
of  the  state  it  grows  splendidly  and  is  apparent  in  thick  forests.  That,  in  1 894, 
Dr.  Charles  Mohr  traced  it  to  its  haunts  in  the  latter  state  was  through  the 
coincidences  of  his  having  first  seen  its  nuts  among  an  exhibit  from  Missis- 


PLATE  XXXV.     NUTMEG  HICKORY.     Hicoria  myrhiicrfonuis. 

(lOl) 


102  THE  WALNUT  FAMILY. 

sippi  at  the  New  Orleans  exhibition  in  1884,  and  because  ten  years  later  he 
passed  in  the  state  a  group  of  children  who  held  them  in  their  hands.  In 
1845  it  had  been  discovered  by  Fremont  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  before 
that  time  in  South  Carolina.  This  fruit  has  not  at  all  the  look  of  conventional 
hickory  nuts  but  appears  quaint  and  more  like  small  nutmegs.  The  tree's 
wood  is  hard  and  closely  grained, 

H.  alba,  mocker-nut,  white  heart  hickory,  or  fragrant  hickory  as  it  is  lat- 
terly called  from  the  fragrance  of  its  nuts  and  pubescent  foliage,  ranges  from 
Florida  to  Ontario  and  westward.  It  bears  large  thick  shelled  nuts,  the 
kernels  of  which  are  pleasantly  flavoured.  The  tree  is  tall,  sometimes  at- 
taining a  height  of  one  hundred  feet.  Its  bark  is  rough  but  close  and  it 
has  mostly  five  lanceolate-oblong  leaflets. 

About  the  wood  produced  by  various  hickories,  a  genus  which  notably 
belongs  to  North  America,  the  trees  being,  as  far  as  our  present  knowledge 
extends,  indigenous  in  no  other  country,  there  is  much  that  is  similar, 
and  they  are  among  the  most  valuable  the  world  over.  In  strength  and 
tenacity  this  wood  is  unexcelled  ;  but  it  is  also  liable  to  decay  when  exposed  to 
the  atmosphere  and  for  this  reason  is  little  used  in  building.  For  such  pur- 
poses, however,  as  the  teeth  in  rakes  where  strength  alone  is  required  it  is 
of  service.  American  axe  handles  made  of  hickory  are  of  worldwide  re- 
nown as  are  the  trotting  sulkies  for  the  construction  of  which  no  other  wood 
combines  sufficient  strength  and  lightness.  On  the  hearth  also,  there  is 
none  other  wood  to  compare  with  that  of  the  hickories  which  produces  an 
intense  heat  and  coals  that  are  heavy  and  long-lived. 

H.  ovdta,  the  shag-bark  or  shell-bark  hickory,  called  also  white  hickory,  is 
too  well  known  and  appreciated  to  need  much  description.  Its  shaggy 
bark,  separating  as  it  does  into  long  plates  which  at  both  ends  curve  away 
from  the  trunk  while  remaining  attached  at  their  centres,  is  its  most  individ- 
ual trait.  The  nuts  also  are  those  of  greatest  renown  among  the  genus. 
Through  the  higher  Alleghanies  the  tree  attains  fine  proportions  and  is  truly 
an  imposing  spectacle  when  seen  against  a  sky  of  intense  blue. 

H.  lacinibsa,  big  shag-bark  or  king-nut,  is  noted  for  the  truly  great  size 
of  its  nuts,  their  thick  husks  being  often  two  and  a  half  or  three  inches  long. 
To  the  base  they  split  cleanly  in  four  sections.  Their  shell  is  pointed  at 
both  ends,  angled  and  quite  uneven  on  the  outside.  It  is  besides  thick  and 
of  a  dark,  yellowish  colour.  Although  sweet,  the  meat  is  less  agreeably 
flavoured  than  that  of  Hicoria  ovata.  This  tree  with  its  seven  or  nine  charac- 
teristic leaflets  is  rather  rare  and  has  Tennessee  and  North  Carolina  as  the 
limit  of  its  southern  range. 

H.  Carorincp-septentrionalis,  with  its  slender  spray  of  well  formed  foliage 
is  another  attractive  individual.     Its  leaflets,  which  usually  number  five,  are 


THE  WALNUT  FAMILY.  103 

sessile  with  the  exception  of  the  terminal  one,  and  ovate-lanceolate  in 
outline.  At  maturity  they  are  bright  green  above,  paler  below,  smooth  and 
lustrous  on  both  sides.  The  husks  of  the  fruit  are  almost  globose,  relatively 
thin,  and  when  ripe  split  in  four  sections  to  nearly  the  base. 

H.  glabra,  pignut  or  broom  hickory,  is  an  especially  well  known  tree  ;  for 
who,  when  it  is  in  fruit,  has  not  at  some  time  confused  its  nuts  with  those 
of  the  faithful  old  shag-bark  and  learned  by  experience  the  lesson  of  their 
differences,  those  of  the  unfortunate  pignut  being  so  bitter  and  astringent 
as  not  to  be  edible.  The  tree  is  perhaps  the  most  prominent  of  the  group 
of  so-called  tiiin-shelled  hickories.  Its  fruit  is  thin-shelled,  smooth,  with- 
out ridges  and  tapers  to  a  point  at  the  apex.  The  husks,  also  smooth,  split 
open  when  ripe,  but  only  to  about  their  middle.  The  leaves  have  from  three 
to  seven  oblong,  or  lanceolate  and  smooth  leaflets. 

H.  minima,  swamp  hickory,  or  bitternut,  a  light  slender  tree  of  usually 
beautiful  proportions,  bears  from  seven  to  nine  lanceolate  leaflets  and  thin 
shelled,  smooth  nuts  which  end  abruptly  in  short  points.  Their  seeds  are  in- 
tensely bitter. 

H.  villosa,  {Plate  XXXV T),  is  one  of  the  common  hickories  of  the 
southern  Alleghanies,  its  range  extending  from  Missouri  to  Alabama  and 
Georgia.  This  tree  in  Missouri,  however,  was  regarded  by  Professor  Sar- 
gent at  one  time  as  being  simply  a  variety  of  the  pignut,  Hicoria  glabra. 
Over  its  leaves  there  is  a  downy  pubescence  which  on  its  leaf-stalks  takes  a 
decided  tufted  character.  The  shells  of  the  nuts  are  thick,  the  kernels 
sweet,  and  as  has  been  observed  by  Professor  Sargent,  the  tree  bears  "  re- 
markably small  buds." 

//.  aqudtica,  water  hickory  or  bitter  pecan,  with  its  nine  to  thirteen  lanceo- 
late leaflets,  shows  sometimes  the  unusual  feature  of  their  curving  in  crescent, 
or  scythe-like  shapes.  The  fruit's  husk  is  ovate,  angled,  somewhat  flattened, 
and  almost  smooth.  When  opened  it  is  found  that  the  nut's  shell  is  thin 
and  rough.  It  is  also  four-angled.  The  kernel  is  intensely  bitter  and  when 
eaten  greatly  puckers  the  mouth. 

H.  Pectin,  the  pecan  which  within  our  range  is  a  native,  prefers  to  grow  in 
moist  soil,  usually  that  along  the  stream's  bank.  At  most  it  attains  a  height 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  and  is  slender  and  graceful  with  a  bold 
and  handsome  crown.  Its  leaves  bear  from  eleven  to  fifteen  oblong- 
lanceolate  leaflets,  with  very  short  petiolules,  and  on  their  undersides  there 
are  still  at  maturity  traces  of  an  early,  rusty  pubescence.  The  smooth,  oblong- 
cylindric  nuts,  enclosing  their  delicious  meat  are  the  ones  so  well  known  in 
the  market.  Yearly  the  demand  for  them  is  greater  than  the  supply,  and  so 
of  late  some  attention  has  been  given  to  planting  the  trees  in  groves  as  a 
source  of  profit.     P>ut  he  of  the  lowlands   with  perhaps  six  or  eight  of  them 


PLATE  XXXVI.     WOOLLY   PIGNUT.     Hicoria  villosa. 
(104) 


THE  WALNUT  FAMILY.  105 

on  his  sandy  domain,  his  pigs  and  his  scuppernong  vine  has  not  yet  occasion 
to  fear  that  uncompromising  competition  will  cause  his  time  of  prosperity  to 
vanish.  In  the  old  plantation  days  (;f  the  south  the  pecan  was  much  planted 
in  a  formal  way.  Even  now  a  few  lingering  ones  which  once,  perhaps, 
shaded  a  tine  avenue  are  standing  as  memorials  of  their  departed  com- 
panions. 

THE  BAYBERRY  FAMILY. 

MyricacciC. 

A  group  composed  of  shrubs  or  small  trees  7i<ith  si))iple^  alteniatc  aro- 
matic /eaves  and  monoecious  or  dioecious  Jtoicers  uu/iich  groia  in  ajnents. 
Perianth  :  none. 

CANDLE=BERRY.     WAX=MYRTLE.     {riate  XXXVII.) 
Myriea  cerifera. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Baybt-rry. 

Slender. 

t-ifO  feet. 

Texas  and  Florida  to 
Maryland  and  westward. 

.March,  April. 
Fruit:   October. 

Bark:  grey,  smooth,  the  young  growth  marked  with  many  blister-h'ke  dots. 
Leaves  ;  oblong-oblanceolate';  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into 
margined,  pubescent  petioles;  entire,  ur  showing  a  few  remote  teeth  ;  dark  green 
andlustrous  above,  slightly  pubescent  underneath  along  the  ribs;  thick;  fragrant 
when  crushed,  persistent  during  the  greater  j^art  of  the  winter.  Floivers :  dioecious. 
Staviiiiate  anients  :  sessile  ;  cylindric  ;  pistillate  ones,  shorter  and  oblong.  Drupe  : 
small  globose  ;  bluish-white,  its  outer  wall  being  covered  with  a  waxy  substance. 

In  the  autunin  along  the  banks  of  streams,  in  wet  woods,  or  sandy 
swamps,  or  wherever  these  bushes  enliven  the  landscape  they  are  laden  with 
their  waxy  fruits.  In  fact,  these  curious  litilc  drupes  when  unmolested  are 
often  persistent  on  the  plants  for  two  or  three  years.  But  there  is  good 
reason  why  they  should  be  gathered  and  therefore  the  bushes  are  often 
seen  completely  stripped  of  their  produce.  l>y  the  natives  they  are  put  into 
boiling  water,  when  the  fragrant,  waxy  substance  which  covers  them  arises 
to  the  surface  as  a  scum.  It  is  then  skimmed  off  and  made  into  candles,  or 
soap.  For  a  long  time  these  candles  burn  while  emitting  a  spicy  scent. 
Again  the  people  value  the  genus  because  its  roots  when  well  boiled  have 
some  efficacy  in  curing  headaches. 

M.  piimila,  a  low,  much  branched  shrub  which  inhabits  the  pine  barrens 
of  Florida,  is  also  known  by  its  very  small  leaves  which  are  entire,  or  irregu- 
larly toothed  and  cut.     They  are  as  well  quite  thick  and  persistent.     On  the 


PLATE  XXXVll.     CANDLE-BERRY.     Myrica  ccrij 
(io6) 


THE  BAYliERRY  FAMILY.  107 

young  stems  and  branchlets  there  is  a  rusty  down  which  also  occurs  on  the 
under  side  of  the  leaves.  When  the  plant  is  in  fruit  these  woody  parts  are 
silvery  grey  and  harmonize  well  with  the  small  balls  of  wax-covered  fruit. 

M.  Carolincnsis,  wax  berry,  extends  from  Florida  northward  to  Nova 
Scotia  and  is  through  northern  New  Jersey  a  feature  of  bog  life.  There,  in 
colonial  days,  considerable  wax  was  produced  from  its  fruit,  a  practice  which 
still  in  New  England  is  more  or  less  prevalent.  The  shrub  attains  from  two 
to  eight  feet  high.  Its  leaves  are  obovate,  or  oblanceolate,  and  mostly 
entire,  although  occasionally  a  few  remote  teeth  are  seen  above  their  middle, 

WAX  MYRTLE. 

Myrica  hi  odor  a. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Bayberry.         Spreading;.  d-iofcct.  Florida,  Alaba)na  and  lu-bruary-May. 

Mississippi. 

Bark:  whitish.  Bra)uhlets  :  reddish  brown.  Leaves:  oblong-obovate,  bluntly 
pointed  or  rounded  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  the  margined  petiole; 
entire;  often  recurved  on  the  edges,  thick,  lustrous,  smooth  and  sparingly  covered 
underneath  with  dark,  coloured  dots.  Drupe  :  oblong  or  ovoid,  about  the  size  of 
a  pea,  the  outer  wall  only  sparingly  covered  with  wax. 

It  is  only  very  seldom  that  this  rare  plant  becomes  tree-like  in  its  habit. 
In  Florida  it  grows  in  swamps  near  Apalachicola  and  Argyle  ;  in  Alabama 
it  is  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Mobile  ;  and  in  Mississippi,  near  Poplarville. 

SWEET  FERN,      {r/afc  XXX  J VII) 
Comptbnia  pcreg7-\na. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Bayberry.  Greenish.         Leaves  fragrant.     North  California  to  Nova  AprilyMay. 

Seotia  and  ivestivard. 

Flowers :  monoecious  or  dioecious,  the  staminate  aments  very  short  and  growing 
near  the  ends  of  the  branches;  the  pistillate  ones  globose  and  growing  on  the 
branches  below  those  which  are  staminate,  in  fruit  becoming  bur-like.  A'///.'  light 
brown  ;  ovoid  ;  shiny.  Leaves  :  linear,  or  linear-lanceolate,  with  very  short  petioles, 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  taper-pointed  or  rounded  at  the  base;  deeply  pinnatifid 
into  rounded  or  pointed  entire  lobes;  their  sinuses  being  very  narrow  and  pointed; 
glabrous,  shiny.  A  shrub  one  to  two  and  a  half  feet  high  with  wide  spread 
branches. 

Over  the  hillsides  in  dry  soil  where  this  low  shrub  forms  often  a  close  and 
interwoven  growth,  it  exhales  its  spicy  breath  and  holds  ever  its  own  place 
in  the  plant  world.  It  appears  vigorous  and  thus  casts  abroad  an  air  of 
refreshment  to  the  traveller  over  these  places  who  perchance  is  all  the 
while  picking  blueberries. 


PLATE  XXXVlll.     SWEET  FERN.     Compiouia  pcregrina. 
(1 08) 


THE  CORK  WOOJ)  FAMILY.  109 

THE  CORK=WOOD  FAMILY. 

Lciliicriacccc. 

CORK=WOOD.      {Plate  XXXI X.) 
Lei t  tier  ill  Floridana. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Cork^uood.         Husky.  About  20 /ect.  Texas  to  M issouyi  Icln  iiary,  Miiri.h. 

and  Florida. 

Bark:  greyish,  almost  smooth.  Young  tivii^s  :  deep  red,  and  covered  with  a 
close  pubescence.  Leaves:  simple;  alternate,  with  long,  pubescent  petioles;  oblong 
or  elliptic-lanceolate,  mostly  pt)inted  at  both  ends;  entire,  olive-green;  lustrous 
above  and  densely  jjubescent  underneath;  the  mid-vein  very  prominent.  Statni- 
nate  ame/its  :  long,  ascending,  their  conspicuous  bracts  covered  with  a  silky  to 
mentum  and  lined  with  crimson.  Pistillate  aments  :  short.  Vrnfes:  oblong, 
growing  towards  the  ends  of  the  twigs.      A  shrub,  or  small  tree. 

Of  this  monotypic  oenus  which  intergrades  between  the  bayberries  and 
the  willows  the  cork-wood  is  liie  only  representative.  In  salt  marshes  it 
grows  and  imparts  to  them  a  fresh  and  spring-like  air  when  its  baby  leaves 
are  unfolding. 

The  wood  produced  by  the  plant  is  in  weight  tlie  hglitest  known,  more 
so  even  than  cork. 


THE  WILLOW  FAMILY. 

Salicacccr. 
Large  trees,  or  shrubs   with    simple,    alternate,   stipulate   leaves,  and 
which  bear  diiecious  flowers  growing  iti  aments. 

SAGE  WILLOW.     DWARF  GREY  WILLOW. 

Seilix  tristis. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME    OF    BLOOM 

WilUnv. 

Slender. 

Al'out  1-2/i'i't. 

Florida  an, t  Tentirssrc 
nortliway-d. 

Mar.!:,   J/'r:-. 

T7c>t\'-s  :  greyish,  or  almost  black.  Sl/A//les :  earlv  falling,  small,  linear-oblong. 
Leaves:  crowded;  one  to  two  inches  long  with  very  short,  ])ubescent  petioles; 
linear-oblong  or  oblanceolate,  jiointed  or  blunt  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the 
base;  entire;  green  and  nearly  glabrous  above;  covered  underneath  with  a  dense, 
white  tomentum.  Flowers:  growing  in  small,  sessile  aments  and  appearing  belore 
the  leaves.  Pistillate  flo7vers  :  ovoid  ;  staminate  ones  with  two  stamens.  Capsule 
with  long  beak,  recurved.     Seeds:  tuficd. 


PLATE  XXXIX.    CORK-WOOD.    Leitneria  Floridana. 
(no) 


THE  WILLOW  FAMILY.  in 

"  Willows  are  weak,  yet  they  bind  other  wood." 

Of  inesLimable  value  to  the  opening  season  are  the  willows,  for  very  early 
they  put  on  their  spring  dress  of  silver  sheen  and  thrust  out  buds  of  green, 
or  combinations  of  colour  almost  too  subtle  to  be  accurately  described. 
This  fluffy  little  one  of  the  shrubs  which  grows  through  the  barren  and  dry 
soil  of  mountains  blooms  very  early  in  the  season;  its  small  rounded 
aments,  as  downy  and  soft  as  young  ducklings,  being  well  developed  long 
before  the  woolly  leaves  awake. 

S.  hiijjiilis,  prairie  willow,  grows  southward  as  far  as  North  Carolina  and 
Tennessee.  It  is  also  a  shrub  of  from  two  to  eight  feet  high  and  has 
extremely  pretty  foliage.  In  outline  the  leaves,  from  about  two  to  four 
inches  long,  are  oblong  or  oblanceolate  and  covered  underneath  as  are 
the  petioles  with  a  grey,  persistent  tomentum.  Along  the  margins  they  are 
entire,  or  slightly  denticulate  while  the  tiny  stipules  are  pointed.  In  April 
and  May,  before  the  leaves  are  seen,  long  sprays  of  both  sorts  of  aments 
are  unfolding.  They  are  short  and  sessile  ;  the  staminate  ones  casting 
abroad  a  golden  glow  from  the  protruding  anthers,  and  the  pistillate  ones 
showing  a  silver  sheen. 

S.  scricea,  silky  willow,  which  remains  always  a  shrub,  is  seen  along  the 
banks  of  streams  and  in  swamps  as  far  southward  as  North  Carolina.  Its 
young  twigs  show  vivid  colours  of  purple  and  red  while  the  unfolding  leaves 
are,  owing  to  their  pubescence,  a  silver-grey.  In  drying  they  turn  to  black, 
or  brown.  This  species  is  one  which  the  Indians  used  largely  to  make 
their  baskets. 

S.  nigra,  black  willow,  a  slender  tree  growing  sometimes  over  a  hundred 
feet  high,  is  one  of  the  most  variable  of  the  genus  in  regard  to  the  shape 
and  character  of  its  leaves;  often  those  that  are  entire  and  those  that  are 
serrate  being  found  closely  together.  On  both  sides,  however,  they  are 
noticeably  a  bright  green.  Along  streams  it  mostly  occurs,  where,  as  is  one 
of  the  functions  of  the  willows,  it  plays  an  important  part  in  holding  the 
soil  together.  The  roots  of  this  species  which  are  intensely  bitter  are 
gathered  and  made  into  a  decoction  for  purifying  the  blood. 

COTTONWOOD.     CAROLINA  POPLAR.     NECKLACE 

POPLAR.     {Plate  XL.) 

Populus  deIto)dcs. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

iriliow. 

Synntnetrical, 

Zo-ioo/eet. 

Florida  to  New  Jersey  and 

April. 

open  crown. 

Quebec,  also  westward. 

Fruit:  June. 

Bark:  granite-grey;  smooth  when  yonng  hut  becoming  rough  ami  furrowed 
with  age  and  breaking  off  in  short,  flaky  pieces.  Braiiclili-ts :  greenish.  Liaf- 
buds:  glutinous,  with  a  substance  like  balsam.     Leaves:  with  stout  petioles  which 


PLATE  XL.     COTTONWOOD.     Popiilus  dcltoidcs. 

(112) 


THE  WILLOW  FAMILY.  113 

are  flattened  laterally;  deltoid-ovate,  taper-p(iinted  at  the  apex  and  scjuartd  at  the 
base.  Irregularly  and  coarsely  serrate,  with  incurved  teelii ;  when  young,  stickv, 
fragrant  like  balsam  ;  occasionally  pubescent  underneath  ;  at  maturity  bright  green.' 
smooth  and  glossy  above,  paler  below  ;  ribs  whitish  on  both  'sides  ;  tliick, 
Fhnotrs :  dioecious:  growing  in  catkins,  and  apjjearing  before  the  leaves;  the 
fertile  ones  sometimes  a  foot  long  ;  their  scales  cut-fringed.  Sloilc  calliiis  : 
growing  on  stout  stems  ;  dense.  Sccu/s  :  covered  with  a  whitish  or  rusty  coloured 
substance. 

We  nuist  indeed  be  tip  with  the  early  birds  to  learn  in  the  sj^rin:^-  the 
ways  of  the  poplars.  Then  they  so  stuklenly  cast  off  their  btid  scales  ; 
develop  their  downy  flowers  ;  and  altogether  chani^e  their  appearance  as 
they  come  into  leaf  that  one  is  fairly  in  a  whirl  with  watciiin^-  them.  The 
pendtilous  aments  of  the  Cottonwood  have  in  fact  for  some  time  a  i];-ood  turn 
in  the  wind  before  the  leaves  begin  to  show;  while  these  latter  as  they  tmfold 
emit  a  balsam-like  fragrance  and  are  covered  with  a  gummy  substance.  With 
its  ashy  grey  stem  and  bright,  fluttering  leaves  which  turn  in  t!ie  autumn  to  a 
brilliant  yellow,  the  tree  appears  among  our  silva  an  individual  so  striking 
and  beautiful  that  it  must  call  largely  upon  the  admiration  of  all.  It  grows 
in  a  wild  state  along  the  banks  of  streams  where  it  rapidly  attains  a  free  and 
full  development.  In  cultivation  it  is  also  seen  having  been  extensively 
chosen  for  planting,  As  the  wood  it  bears  is  soft  and  not  suitable  for  many 
purposes  it  is  largely  made  into  paper  pulp. 

DOWNY  POPLAR.     RIVER  OR  SWAMP  COTTONWOOD. 

rdpuliis  heto'opJiylla. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Willow.  C>('7v>i  nii>>-07i\  rou'i-l-       40-8  lyVc/.      Crorff/n,  Louisiana  and       Aprils  May. 

topped  :  branclics,  irregular.  Mississippi  to  Connecticut. 

Bark  :  reddish  brown  ;  rough  ;  and  broken  into  long,  narrow  plates.  LcoTm  : 
large;  with  long,  round  i)etioles  ;  rounded  ovate,  with  blunt  apex  and  squarely- 
cordate  base,  the  lobes  of  the  base  often  overlapping  a  small  portion  of  the  leaf-stem  ; 
serrate,  with  obtuse  and  incurved  teeth.  When  young  the  leaves  are  covered  with 
a  white  wool  which  falls  as  they  mature  ;  the  veins  and  petioles,  however,  always 
retain  traces  of  this  down.  Siaminat,-  catkins  :  very  large  ;  dense  ;  drooping. 
Pistillate  ones  :  raceme-like  ;  loose.  Capsules  :  splitting  when  rijie  into  two  re- 
curved sections  and  allowing  the  tufted  seeds  to  escape. 

Besides  the  strong,  attractive  personality  of  these  trees  there  is  little  in 
nature  more  beautiful  than  the  aments  of  the  pistillate  ones  when  their  cap- 
sules are  opening  that  the  seeds  may  escape.  WMth  tufts  of  cream  coloured 
white  hairs  which  are  silky  and  soft  these  minute  seeds  are  enveloped,  and 
so  they  are  borne  on  the  breezes  in  much  the  same  way  as  sails  uphold  a 
ship.  When  ripe  the  capsules  are  golden  brown  while  a  peep  into  them 
shows  that  they  are  lined  with  lemon-yellow.  The  black  poplar  as  the  tree 
is  also  popularly  called  was  early  known  to  science,  it  having  been  des- 
cribed by  Mark   Catesby  in  1731.     One  striking  characteristic  it  possesses 


114  THE  WILLOW  FAMILY. 

quite  at  variance  with  those  of  its  relatives.  Of  the  mature  trees  the  bark 
divides  into  long,  narrow  plates,  which  at  their  extremities  curve  away  from 
the  tree,  but  remain  attached  at  the  centres  as  does  the  bark  of  the  shell 
bark  hickory. 

P,  gajididentdta,  large-toothed  aspen,  as  its  name  would  imply,  is 
known  by  the  large,  coarse  teeth  which  surround  the  margins  of  its  broadly 
ovate  and  pointed  leaves.  When  young  they  have  on  their  under  surfaces 
a  white  tomentum  ;  but  it  is  the  baby  leaves  which  are  particularly  beautiful, 
they  being  on  both  sides  soft  and  silvery  and  making  the  tree  appear  in 
early  spring  as  though  it  were  arrayed  in  woolly  white.  Although  reported 
to  occur  in  a  wild  state  through  the  Alleghanies  we  did  not  meet  with  it 
in  our  travels.     Northward,  it  is  to  many  a  familiar  individual. 

In  addition  to  these  native  species  of  poplars  there  are  seen  through  the 
south  these  others  which  have  become  naturalized. 

P.  alba,  silver-leaf  poplar,  which  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  grace- 
ful of  the  genus.  Its  young  foliage  is  covered  with  a  thick,  white  t'omentum 
which  clings  always  to  the  undersides  of  the  leaves,  and  when  by  the  wind 
these  silvery  surfaces  are  turned  upward,  the  people  take  it  as  a  sign  that 
rain  is  near.  The  tree  springs  up  along  roads  and  is  abundantly  reproduced 
by  suckers  that  arise  from  the  bases  of  the  older  ones, 

P.  cdiidicans,  balm  of  Gilead,  a  tree  quite  common  through  the  south, 
was  in  the  beginning  planted  by  residents  and  has  now  escaped  from  cultiva- 
tion. Its  natural  home  has  been  pointed  out  by  Professor  Bailey  to  be  in 
the  region  of  the  great  lakes  and  in  Michigan  he  reports  a  number  of 
individuals. 

P,  dilatdta,  Lombardy  poplar,  appears  an  unusually  strange  figure  when 
seen  looming  tall  and  straight  on  some  of  the  high  and  remote  places  in  the 
Alleghanies.  Originally  it  was  imported  to  this  country  from  Italy  ;  but 
now  so  thoroughly  naturalized  has  it  become  that  its  perpendicular,  distinc- 
tive manner  of  growth  is  perhaps  better  known  than  the  habit  of  any  one  of 
the  native  species.  In  many  places,  however,  where  once  the  trees  grew 
singly  they  now  appear  to  be  sending  up  numerous  shoots  from  their  stolonif- 
erous  roots. 


THE  BIRCH  FAMILY.  n- 

THE  BIRCH  FAMILY. 

Bchildcccc. 
Trees  or  shrubs,  7vith  simple,  alternate  pctiolcd  leaves  havuig  strai"-/it 
reifis,  and  inomjce'ious  flowers  whie/i  grow  in  aments. 

AMERICAN  HORNBEAM.     BLUE  OR  WATER  BEECH. 
IRONWOOD. 

Carp\nus  Caro/iniuna. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

'^irch. 

Crown  open  : 

I0-40/.VA 

Texas  and  Florida  to 

.//;•//,  May 

branches 

or  more. 

Ne7v  Brunsivick 

Fruit  :  Aug.,  Sept. 

spreading. 

and  7V  est  ward. 

Tniiik  and  branches:  ridged.  Bark  :  smooth;  greyish  black,  and  irregularly 
and  vertically  lined  with  stripes  of  dull  grey.  Brainhlets  :  slender;  when  young, 
brownish  purple,  terminating  in  green-bronze;  those  that  are  older,  with  an  ashy  hue. 
Leaz'cs  :  with  slender  petioles;  ovate-lanceolate,  or  oblong,  pointed  at  the  apex  and 
rounded  or  slightly  cordate  at  the  base,  slightly  one-sided;  sharply  and  unevenly 
serrate  ;  ribs  straight ;  pubescent ;  especially  so  in  their  axils  ;  above  smooth. 
Fruit:  growing  in  a  green,  elongated,  drooping  cluster.  The  small  nuts  borne 
singly  at  the  base  of  two  opposite,  halberd-shaped,  three-lobed  bracts. 

When  along  the  stream's  bank  the  growth  is  thick  and  close  and  various 
forms  of  vegetation  jostle  with  each  other  in  the  struggle  for  existence,  we 
often  see  standing  out  clearly  among  them  all,  the  boughs  of  this  tree  hung 
with  its  long  graceful  clusters  of  fruit.  Its  preference  really  is  to  lean  over 
the  stream.  In  driving  from  Johnston  City  to  Roan  Mountain  station,  in 
Tennessee,  the  tree  almost  seemed  to  map  out  the  way  and  considerably 
diverted  the  attention  from  the  perils  of  the  road.  The  trap  we  drove  in 
and  the  horses  were  very  old  and  altogether  out  of  joint ;  the  charioteer 
youthful  but  not  without  skill  ;  and  seventeen  times  in  sixteen  miles  we 
crossed  and  recrossed  the  Doe  river. 

HOP=HORNBEAM.     LEVER=WOOD.  IRON=WOOD. 

Ostrp I    I ^irgi)iiana. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Birch,    Croiun,  round ;  branches.,     20-60 /eet.     Florida  a7id  Texas  north-        April,  May. 

drooping  at  the  ends.  7vard  afid  westward.         Fruit  :  July-Sept. 

Bark:  brownish,  furrowed  vertically,  and  scaly.  Branc/ilels  :  purplish  brown, 
and  dotted  with  grey;  lustrous.  Leaves :  with  short,  pubescent  petioles;  oblong- 
lanceolate;  taper-pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded  at  the  base  ;  often  unequal  ; 
doubly  and  sharply  serrate;  dark  yellow-green  above  ;  almost  smooth;  lighter 
coloured  below  and  tufted  in  the  axils  of  the  straight  veins.  Flirioers  :  growing  in 
catkins;  the  staminate  ones  about  two  inches  long,  with  scales  fringed  on  tlicir 
margins.  Pistillate  catkins:  shorter.  Fruit:  borne  in  long,  drooping,  hop-like 
strobiles,  with  entire,  overlapping  scales,  or  sacs  which  are  bristly  at  their  bases, 
Nuts  ;  flattened. 


ii6  THE  BIRCH  FAMILY. 

No  less  than  Carp  inns  Carolhiiana  is  this  tree  found  bathing  its  roots  in 
many  of  the  southern  streams  of  the  upland  districts,  while  in  the  north  and 
west  as  well  it  appears  to  be  equally  content  and  at  home.  It  is  most 
attractive  when  hung  with  its  yellow  tinted  clusters  of  fruit  which  are  as 
decorative  and  pretty  as  those  of  a  hop  vine.  For  its  beauty,  in  fact,  it  is 
much  planted.  When  in  the  open  it  develops  a   rounded  and  graceful  crown- 

BEAKED  HAZEL=NUT. 

Caryl  us  ro  sir  at  a. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Bhck. 

Biisliy. 

4-8  feet. 

Georgia  and  Tennessee  north- 
luard  and  west -ward. 

April,  May. 
Fruit:  Aug..,  Sept 

Branches  :  light  brown;  glabrous  or  often  pubescent;  slender.  Twigs:  nearly 
glabrous.  Leaves:  with  slender  pubescent  petioles;  ovate,  or  ovate-oblong; 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  slightly  cordate,  or  blunt  at  the  base;  doubly  serrate; 
bright  green  above;  glabrous  ;  paler  underneath  and  nearly  glabrous;  thin.  Sta?ji- 
inale flowers  :  growing  in  catkins;  the  single  flowers  in  the  axils  of  each  bract 
with  four  stamens  the  filaments  of  which  are  divided  so  as  to  produce  eight 
anther  sacs.  Pistillate  flnoers  :  clustered,  arising  from  scaly  buds,  each  in  the 
axil  of  a  bract.  Fruit :  io\x\\(\.  at  the  base  of  an  involucre  v\hich  is  prolonged  into 
a  curved  tube,  cut  at  the  summit  and  covered  with  bristly  yellow  hairs.  Ant: 
brown;  ovoid,  or  ovate.     Kernel  :   edible;  sweet. 

Of  the  genus  Corylus  there  are  but  two  representatives  in  our  range  and 
they  are  not  only  both  well  known  but  readily  distinguishable  the  one  from 
the  other.  At  the  present  time  we  regard  them  mostly  for  their  fruit's  sake 
which  is  gathered  and  sold  at  the  markets  ;  but  in  former  days  almost  all 
their  parts  were  relied  on  for  practical  uses.  Among  a  few  of  these  that 
have  been  recorded  are  that  the  wood  was  made  into  farming  implements, 
poles,  spars,  hoops,  sticks  and  angling  rods,  while  the  plant's  juices  were 
employed  for  staining.  In  brewing,  the  dried  twigs  were  used  as  a  substi- 
tute for  yeast  when  they  were  soaked  in  fermenting  liquor.  Coals  for  draw- 
ing outlines  were  prepared  from  the  wood  which  painters  and  engravers  de- 
sired above  all  others  as  the  substance  was  one  that  worked  freely  and  could 
be  taken  out  cleanly  wdth  Indian  rubber.  From  the  nut's  meat,  chocolate 
as  well  as  bread  was  made  and  also  an  oil  procured  little  inferior  to  that  of 
almonds.  Even  at  the  present  time  the  New  England  Indians  make  use  of 
the  twigs  in  binding  fish-dams. 

C  Americana,  hazel-nut  or  filbert,  is  distinctive  from  having  longer  leaves 
than  the  preceding  species  and  because  its  staminate  aments  are  longer.  It 
is  also  a  more  pubescent  shrub.  But  the  most  pronounced  point  of  differ- 
ence between  the  two  is  the  dissimilarity  in  the  shape  of  their  involucres, 
that  of  Corylus  Americana  being  rounded  at  the  base  and  extending  into  a 
somewhat  fluted,  leafy  border  wdiich  although  somewhat  hairy  is  quite  with- 


THE  BIRCH  FAMILY.  117 

out  the  glass-like  bristles  of  Corylus  rostrata.  This  indeed  is  the  shrub 
known  to  almost  every  country  urchin  and  which  wIkmi  its  catkins  begin  to 
loosen  and  its  golden  pollen  to  fall  proclaims  loudly  the  coming  of  the 
springtime. 

SnOOTH  ALDER. 

A  In  us  n/j^osa. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Bhili.     S/'readin.::  roHudrd.     2s-a,u  Jfft,  or      Texas  and  l-'loridn  north-         Mar,,  ii,  A /nit. 
a  slirulK  ivard  and  ivestward. 

Bark:  sniootli  ;  twigs  sliglitly  jKibcsccnt.  Stipules  :  early  falling.  Leavts:  \\\\\\ 
pubescent  petioles,  oVal,  or  obovate  ;  bluntly  pointed  or  rounded  at  the  apex  anil 
wedge  shaped,  or  rounded  at  the  base,  irregularly  and  finely  serrate;  dark  green  ; 
glabrous  aliove  and  covered  on  the  veins  underneath  with  a  rusty  i)ubescencc. 
Flo'uh'ys  :  usually  appearing  before  or  with  the  leaves  according  to  the  cliniat'. 
Slaniiiiatc  ameitts  :  yellowish  brown,   long  ;  pistillate  ones  shorter,  thick  and  ovoid. 

Although  there  are  times  when  the  smooth  alder  flourishes  as  a  tree  it  is 
more  usual  to  find  that  it  has  not  had  ambitions  beyond  that  of  being  a 
shrub.  It  is  a  native  species  growing  in  wet,  or  moist  soil  and  is  most 
abundant  in  the  southeastern  states,  where,  shaking  the  golden  pollen  from 
its  catkins  often  on  the  young  and  striving  leaves,  as  well  as  on  the  demure 
pistillate  blossoms,  it  is  one  of  the  very  charming  features  of  the  opening 
season.  In  European  folkdore  the  alder  is  still  regarded  as  one  of  the 
spirit-haunted  trees  and  many  that  have  sufficient  hardihood  to  chop  it 
down  declare,  that  "  it  bleeds,  weeps,  and  begins  to  speak." 

A.  Alnobetula,  green  or  mountain  alder,  is  common  among  the  growth  of 
the  high  Alleghanies,  where  in  June  its  bloom  unfolds  at  the  same  time  as 
its  leaves.  It  is  always  a  shrub,  seldom  becoming  over  ten  feet  high  and 
is  distinctively  marked  by  its  angled  and  greyish  young  branches.  Its  nut 
also  is  bordered  all  about  by  a  fine  membraneous  wing.  The  leaves  are 
oval,  or  ovate,  and  on  their  undersides,  even  at  maturity,  there  is  some 
brownish  pubescence. 

RIVER    BIRCH.     RED  BIRCH. 

Bctula  ingra. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Birch.  S/>ri-adiii^ or  30-90 yi't/.  Florida  northivard.  .i/>rii,Ma\. 

drooping. 

Bark  :  reddish  brown  ;  dotted  and  peeling,  not  as  the  white  birches  but  becom- 
ing loose  and  hanging  in  thin,  light  brown  sheets.  Ticios  ;  darkly  ct)loured. 
Leaves:  often  two  together,  with  slender,  jnibescent  petioles;  ovate,  usually 
j)ointed  at  both  ends  or  more  abruptly  narrowed  at  the  base;  unequdlv  and  often 
doubly  serrate  with  entire  bases;  green  above,  whitish  and  pubescent  underneath, 
at  least  when  young.  Floioers:  growing  in  long,  narrow  catkins.  Xut :  small; 
pubescent  at  the  apex,  the  broad  wings  ciliate  on  their  margins. 


ii8 


THE  BIRCH  FAMILY 


This  birch  is  indeed  a  child  of  the  south  for  none  other  of  the  genus  is 
known  to  grow  in  a  climate  so  warm  as  that  of  Louisiana,  Florida  and  Texas. 
In  fact  through  the  middle  and  in  particular  parts  of  the  southenn  states  it 
is  very  common  and  with  its  pendulous,  graceful  branches  Is  always  a 
charming  individual.  An  interesting  point  in  connection  with  it  is  the  wis- 
dom it  displays  in  the  matter  of  securing  a  good 
footing  for  its  young  seeds.  Growing  as  it  does 
along  river  banks  it  finds  it 
necessary  to  use  some  diplomacy 
and  to  adapt  itself  to  its  sur- 
roundings. Therefore  m  June, 
or  even  earlier,  it  ripens  its 
seeds  which  as  they  then  fall  in 
the  soft,  receptive 
soil  have  a  good  op- 
portunity to  live  and 
to  grow.  Before  the 
cold  weather  comes 
on  its  seedlings  are 
often  a  foot  high 
and  have  sufficient 
strength  to  with- 
stand the  swelling 
and  washings  of  the 
stream.  Should  this 
tree,  however,  delay  to  mature  its  seeds  until  the  autumn,  as  is  customary 
with  the  genus,  they  would  have  some  difficulty  in  finding  a  resting  place  in  the 
w^ater-washed  soil.  Through  the  winter  the  river  birch  has  an  open,  feath- 
ery look  which  is  very  attractive.  It  grows  also  in  soil  that  is  comparatively 
dry.     Through  New  England  it  is  known  but  is  there  rare  and  very  local. 

B.  littea,  yellow  birch,  grey  birch,  possesses  as  its  peculiar  charm  a  bark 
different  from  that  of  any  other  tree.  Its  outermost  part  is  formed  of  a 
film-like  skin  which  curls  away  from  the  stem  in  strips.  In  certain  lights  it 
looks  a  ruddy  gold  with  always,  however,  a  silvery  sheen.  Through  the 
winter  when  the  earth  is  bare  there  is  much  to  attract  the  eye  in  this  unique 
characteristic,  although  often  when  tlie  tree  grows  in  the  open  it  becomes 
dull  and  has  a  weather-beaten  air.  In  the  spring  the  terminal,  staminate 
aments,  usually  borne  in  clusters,  and  showing  their  yellow  anthers,  appear 
like  well-marked  caterpillars ;  the  pistillate  ones  are  demure,  brown  little 
things  and  hidden  away  below  the  others.  On  the  upper  slopes  of  the 
AUeghanies  the  tree  occurs  in  abundance. 


THE  BIRCH  FAAHLY.  1,9 

B.  lent  a,  sweet  black,  or  cherry  birch,  has  in  its  youth  a  smooth  bark 
which,  although  it  becomes  quite  rough  with  age,  does  not  peel.  The  tree 
in  general  appearance  resembles  an  old  cherry.  It  seems,  however,  to  be 
best  known  by  its  sweet,  aromatic  bark  which  is  nibbled  by  country 
children  and  from  which  is  distilled  birch  oil.  This  substance,  an  important 
article  of  commerce,  is  identical  with  the  oil  of  wintergreen  procured  from  the 
little  plant,  Gaidtheria  procumbens.  Through  the  Roan  Mountain  country 
the  natives  formerly  made  in  the  season,  quite  a  little  money  with  their  birch 
stills. 


THE  BEECH  FAMILY. 

Fagdcece. 

A  large  group  of  trees  and  shrubs  with  simple,  alternate  and petioled 
leaves,  their  margins  being  entire  or  variously  cut  and  lobed ;  and  which 
bear  monoecious  flowers,  the  staminate  ones  forming  avients  and  the 
pistillate  ones  produced  solitary,  or  a  few  together.  Fruit  :  a  nut,  or 
acorn. 

AMERICAN  BEECH.     {Plate  XLL) 
Fag  us  Americana. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Beech.  Rottnd-toJ>/<ed :        ^o-^o-i^o/eei.       Texas,  Florida  io  Nova  April,  May, 

branches,  horizontal.  Scotia  and  westward.       Septeiiiber,  October. 

Bark:  light  bluish  grey  ;  smooth.  Leaves:  with  short  petioles;  ovate;  with 
pointed  apex  and  rounded  or  narrowed  base.  Ribs  :  straight,  unbranched  and 
terminating  in  the  remote  teeth  ;  fringed  on  the  margins  with  soft,  white  hairs 
which  soon  fall  ;  glabrous.  Flotvers  :  appearing  with  the  leaves.  Staminate 
ones  :  borne  in  globose  heads  clustered  on  drooping  peduncles  and  subtentled  by 
linear,  thin  bracts.  Pistillate  ones  :  usually  in  pairs  and  terminating  a  scaly- 
bracted  peduncle.  Fruit  :  a  pair  of  three-sided  nuts,  with  a  sweet  and  edible 
kernel,  growing  within  a  prickly  bur  which  splits  when  ripe  midway  to  the  base. 

This  great,  solemn-looking  tree  is  the  only  native  species  of  the  genus  in 
this  country  and  from  its  earliest  youth  until  old  age  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful.  The  peculiarity  of  its  mottled  bark  and  the  clean-cut  of  its  limbs 
make  it  as  noticeable  in  winter  time  as  it  is  in  summer  when  covered  by 
its  crown  of  lustrous,  deep  green  leaves.  The  seedlings  show  it  in  one  of  its 
most  interesting  stages.  Their  small  leaves,  as  is  true  of  all  the  young  ones, 
are  covered  on  their  veins  and  under  sides  with  a  soft,  silky  white  fuzz  which 
extends  as  a  delicate  fringe  about  their  edges.     Only  as  they  reach  maturity 


PLATE  XLI.     AMERICAN   BEECH.     Fagus  Aiucricjna. 
(1 20) 


THE  BEFXII  FA^rILY.  121 

does  this  disappear  and  the  ribs  become  conrirnicd  in  their  straight,  un- 
flinching outHne.  In  early  spring  the  buds  are  exquisite.  There  are  then 
also,  long,  gaily-coloured  bracts  to  be  seen  hanging  about  the  flower.  And 
quite  worthy  of  attention  are  the  stipules  which  on  some  of  the  trees  are  a 
rosy  crimson  while  on  others  they  are  simply  a  sombre  brown.  From  the 
quaintly  shaped  nuts  of  the  beech  can  be  distilled  a  fine  oil. 

CHINQUAPIN. 

Castdncui  pitmila. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Btec/i.       Cfoivn,  loitiuicii.       \^-\^/cct.       I'lorida  and  Tcxus  norihivai-d    JTiiit:  Se/'toiilut . 

to  \f7v  Jersey  and  ivestward. 

Bark  :  light  brown,  furrowed.  Leaves  :  with  pubescent  petioles  ;  ol^long  ; 
acute  at  the  apex  and  rounded  or  tapering  at  the  l^ase,  often  slightly  one-sided  ; 
feather-veined,  the  ribs  terminating  the  teeth  with  a  bristle-like  tip  ;  dark  green 
and  glabrous  above,  pale  below  by  reason  of  the  dense  covering  of  white  to- 
mentum.  Sta)iuiiate  amejits  :  maize  coloured  ;  slender  ;  axillarv.  Pislillate 
fio'oers  :  a  tew  in  each  involucre.  A/v///  ;  growing  as  a  green  prickly  bur  which 
contains  but  one  or  rarely  two,  top-shaped,  small  nuts.  Kcnul  :  very  sweet, 
edible. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  know  when  chinquapins  are  ripe  for  almost  every 
country  child  has  either  a  long  string  of  them  about  his  neck  or  a  small  bag 
of  them  in  his  hand  which,  for  a  nickel,  he  wishes  to  sell.  They  are  not 
flattened  on  their  sides  and  their  meat  is  very  sweet, — truly,  as  the  old 
writers  have  said,  "  a  great  daintie."  But  so  small  are  these  nuts  that  even 
the  natives  exclaim  when  eating  them  "  powerful  tejus."  They  are  very 
eager  to  germinate  and  have  been  observed  to  send  out  their  hypocotyl  even 
before  they  have  touched  the  ground.  Although  usually  a  shrub,  Castanea 
pumila  attains  to  the  size  and  habit  of  a  tree  in  such  situations  of  soil  and 
climate  as  suit  it  best. 

C.  nana  is  always  a  low  shrub.  Its  bright  green  leaves  average  about 
four  inches  long  and  on  their  upper  surfaces  are  extremely  glossy.  Under- 
neath they  are  paler  and  slightly  pubescent.     The  nuts  are  very  small. 

C.  denidta,  American  chestnut,  is  thoroughly  well  known  and  in  nobility 
of  outline  stands  almost  as  a  rival  of  the  white  oak  ;  its  dome-like,  rounded 
crown,  and  branches  spreading  at  a  wide  angle  make  it  indeed  one  of  the 
most  majestic  figures  of  the  woodlands.  And  when,  in  maize  coloured  tas- 
sels, the  flowers  hang  through  the  tree  it  is  a  splendid  sight,  while  also  in  its 
large  prickly  buiTs  there  is  much  attraction.  Not  until  it  has  reached  a 
hundred  years  old  is  the  tree  thought  to  have  attained  its  best  proportions, 
but  long  before  that  time  it  is  of  sufificient  beauty  to  kindle  admiration.  For 
making  into  charcoal  its  wood  is  well  adapted.  As  fuel  it  snaps  too 
stronulv  to  be  desirable. 


122 


THE  BEECH  FAMILY^ 


KEY  TO  THE  OAKS. 

A.     Leaves  bristle-tipped,  divided: 

a.  Green  on  both  sides, 

b.  Covered  with  tomentum  on  the  lower  surface. 
A  A,     Leaves  bristle-tipped,  mostly  entire, 

AAA.     Leaves  not  bristle-tipped. 

a.  Crenate  and  dentate. 

b.  Pinnately  lobed. 

c.  Entire  (sometimes  toothed,  or  rarely  bristle-tipped). 


A.     Leaves  bristle-tipped,  divided. 
rt.  Green  on  both  sides. 

TEXAN  RED  OAK.     {Plate  XLII) 
Ouereus  Texana. 


FAMILY 
Beech. 


SHAPE 
Tnll^  narrow. 


HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

'jyioo  feet.  Florida  and  Texas  to  JMarcli-May. 

Missouri  and  Indiana.        Fruit;  Sept.-Oct. 

Bark:  reddish  brown:  ridged  and  broken  into  plates.  Leaves:  large,  with 
slender,  light  coloured  petioles;  obovate  or  oblong,  squared  or  wedge-shaped  at 
the  base  and  pinnatelv  divided  into  five  to  nine  oblong  lobes,  which  have  a  few 
coarse  teeth  with  bristle  tips.  Sinuses  :  broadly  rounded,  the  deepest  of  which  ex- 
tends to  within  a  quarter  of  an  inch  of  the  midrib.  Bright  green;  lustrous  above; 
lighter  below  and  tufted  conspicuously  in  the  axils  of  the  veins.  Flowers  .'monoe- 
cious. Acoj'fis:  sessile,  or  growing  on  short  thick  peduncles  and  maturing  the 
second  season.  Cup:  saucer-shaped,  with  closely  appressed  scales.  Ntit:  ovoid, 
or  ovate  and  three  times  or  more  longer  than  the  cup. 

This  great  oak,  which,  in  the  Mississippi  basin  where  it  attains  its  best 
development,  becomes  taller  than  any  other  of  America,  may  well  be  chosen 
for  description  as  being  one  of  the  most  interesting  if  not  the  least  known  of 
the  group  to  which  it  belongs.  It  is  Buckley's  oak  of  the  south,  having 
been  recognised  by  him  as  different  from  other  species  and  described  as 
Ouereus  Texana  in  i860.  It  had  been  confused  with  the  eastern  red  oak, 
Ouereus  rubra,  while  in  other  places,  it  has  appeared  to  botanical  investiga- 
tors as  being  almost  identical  with  the  pin  oak,  Ouereus  palustris.  From 
the  former  of  these  two,  however,  it  can  be  known  by  its  winter  buds,  which 
are  considerably  shorter  and  broader  than  those  of  the  red  oak  ;  by  its  rather 
small  and  highly  lustrous  leaves  ;  by  its  timber,  which  lumbermen  have 
now  recognised  to  be  of  more  value  :  and  from  the  pin  oak  by  its  fruit ; 
and  also  by  its  enlarged  and  buttressed  base  which  alone  is  a  feature  dis- 
tinctive enough  to  mark  it  from  all  other  trees.  When  its  vividly  green 
leaves  are  lit  by  the  sunlight  and  its  dusky,  unbranched  stem  towers  high 
above  other  growth  it  is  indeed  a  notable  object.     In  the  autumn  its  leaves 


PLATE  XL  1 1.     TEXAN   RED  OAK.     Qucrcus  Tcxana. 
(123) 


124  THE  BEFXH  FAMILY. 

do  not  turn  to  those  colours  which  are  associated  with  either  the  red  or  the 
pin  oaks.  As  is  true  of  nearly  all  oaks,  with  the  exception  of  those  belong- 
ing to  the  group  of  so-called  white  oaks,  this  tree  takes  two  years  in  which  to 
mature  its  acorns.  After  the  little  flower  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves  has  re- 
ceived in  early  spring  the  pollen  from  the  long  swaying  catkins,  it  rests,  or 
remains  inactive  over  the  winter,  or  until  the  next  spring  when  other  little 
blossoms  are  beginning  their  work  just  where  it  left  off.  Then  it  suddenly 
awakes  to  activity,  grows  steadily  and  by  the  autumn  of  the  second  year, 
presents  the  ripened  fruit. 

''  The  pulpy  acorn,  ere  it  swells,  contains 
The  oak's  vast  branches  in  its  milky  veins; 
Each  ravel'd  bud,  fine  iilm  and  fibre-line 
Traced  with  nice  pencil  on  the  small  design." 

Q.  pahistris,  pin  oak,  water  oak,  or  swamp  Spanish  oak  thrives  best  in 
soil  that  is  subject  to  moisture  and  is  distinctive  from  the  ever  pendulous 
droop  of  its  lower  branches.  Its  rather  small  broadly  ovate,  or  obovate 
leaves  are  deeply  pinnatifid  into  five  to  nine  divergent  lobes  which  at  their 
extremities  are  toothed  and  bristle-tipped.  On  their  upper  surfaces  they  are 
lustrous.  In  the  autumn  of  the  second  season  the  rather  small  acorns 
mature.  They  grow  in  either  a  sessile  way  or  on  very  short  peduncles  and 
often  their  light  brown  nut  with  its  thin  shell  is  conspicuously  striped. 
When  hung  early  in  the  spring  with  its  long  maize  coloured  catkins,  and  the 
tender  young  leaves  are  unfolding  the  tree  presents  a  stirring  and  attractive 
sight. 

(2-  coccinea,  scarlet  oak,  is  the  one  of  the  great  order  which  turns  in  the 
autumn  to  so  glorious  a  tint  of  scarlet ;  touches  of  it  appearing  first  here, 
then  there  as  balls  of  fire  on  the  landscape,  until  finally  it  spreads  acres  of 
flame  colour  through  the  forests.  Again  in  the  spring  when  the  young 
leaves  are  unfolding  it  is  a  lively  figure,  for  they  too  are  highly  coloured. 
The  lobes  of  these  leaves  are  lanceolate,  toothed  and  tipped  with  bristles. 
On  both  sides  in  age  they  are  smooth  and  lustrous.  The  rather  large  acorns 
are  partly  covered  by  the  scaly,  top-shaped  cup  while  the  kernel  is  light 
coloured  and  has  a  bitter  flavour.  Another  means  of  distinguishing  this 
oak  is  that  its  inner  bark  is  reddish. 

O.  rubra,  red  oak,  has  its  crown  clothed  with  large  obovate  and  dull 
green  leaves  which  are  pinnatifid,  but  have  not  their  lobes  so  deeply  cut  as 
those  of  the  scarlet  oak,  and  which  near  the  base  greatly  decrease  in  size. 
They  are,  however,  very  variable.  But  always  by  the  acorns  the  tree  can 
be  known.  When  mature,  which  they  do  not  become  until  the  second 
season,  they  are  about  an  inch  and  a  quarter  high  with  a  very  flat,  saucer- 


THE  BEECH   FAMILY.  125 

shaped  cup  above  which  the  ovate,  smooth  nut  arises  four  or  five  times,  or 
more  high.  In  early  spring  the  look  of  the  stalwart  tree  is  greatly  enlivened 
by  its  slender  staminate  aments  as  they  dangle  among  the  young  leaves. 

Q.  Gcoroiana  {^Platc  XLIII.)  is  mostly  a  shrubby  species  of  oak  from 
six  to  eight  feet  high,  but  sometimes  attains  the  proportions  of  a  tree  thirty 
feet  tall.  It  is  found  on  Stone  Mountain  in  Georgia  and  along  the  rockv 
banks  of  the  Yellow  river.  It  is,  in  fact,  very  local  in  its  habitat.  lis 
small,  obovate  leaves  have  a  wedge-shaped  base  and  from  three  to  five 
variously  formed  lobes  with  persistent,  bristle  tips.  The  acorns  with  saucer- 
shaped  cups  also  are  small,  two  usually  growing  together  on  short  pedun- 
cles. As  the  tree  grows  in  thick  clumps  it  is  more  of  a  botanical  curiosity 
than  worthy  of  admiration.  Economically  it  is  regarded  as  being  of  no  use 
whatever. 

Q.  vclufina,  black  oak  or  quercitron,  is,  in  the  outline  of  its  foliage,  one  of 
the  most  variable  of  the  genus.  Sometimes  its  leaves  occur  in  a  narrow 
form  when  they  are  nearly  identical  with  those  of  the  scarlet  oak.  Again 
they  become  very  broad  with  ruggedly-formed,  rounded  and  dissimilar  lobes 
which  have  lost  nearly  all  trace  of  their  bristle  tips.  On  the  upper  surfaces 
of  these  leaves  small  glands  are  perceptible  in  the  spring  and  early  summer, 
while  underneath  they  show  a  rusty  tomentum.  The  buds  are  long,  pointed 
and  scaly  and  the  acorns  have  a  top-shaped,  scaly  cup  which  extends  into  a 
short,  thick  peduncle.  The  kernel  of  the  nut  is  bright  yellow.  The  black 
oak  is  so  called  from  the  very  dark  colouring  of  its  outer  bark,  the  inner  one 
being  a  vivid  orange.  It  is  a  large  tree  attaining  a  height  usually  of  from 
seventy  to  ninety  feet  and  very  conspicuous  in  the  autumn  from  the  rich, 
russet  and  red  shades  of  its  foliage. 

Q.  ii\gra,  water  oak,  a  large  forest  tree  which  is  found  growing  in 
swamps  and  along  the  banks  of  streams,  is  not  known  to  extend  farther 
northward  than  Delaware.  In  outline  its  leaves  are  somewhat  obovate  with 
from  one  to  three  blunt  and  not  always  bristle-tipped  lobes  near  their  apices. 
On  both  sides  they  are  green  and  lustrous  with  the  exception  of  a  few  tufted 
bits  in  the  axils  of  the  veins  underneath.  The  acorns  are  small  with  saucer- 
shaped  cups. 

A.     Leaves  b7'istle-tipped.  dii'ided. 

b.     Covered  with  tomentum  on  the  lower  surface. 
SPANISH  OAK.     TURKEY  OAK. 

(2uercus  digitata. 


FAMILY                SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Beech.          Roiitid-topped: 

20-30  or  80 

Florida  attd  Texas  to  Xe-v 

.//'//,  .Way. 

branches^  s/>readinje^. 

/cet. 

Jersey  and  ii'es^'^i'ard. 

Fruit:  O.toi'er, 

Bark:  bruwnish  red  or    almost  l^lack  ;  rougli    and    broatUy-furrowcd.     LdiX'iS: 


PLATE  XL  1 1 1.     Qimcits  Georgiana. 
(126} 


The  beech  family.  127 

obovate,  of  oblong,  pinnatiful,  widening  towards  the  middle  and  forming  from 
three  to  seven  long,  slender  lobes;  the  terminal  one  often  somewhat  scythe-shaped; 
entire  or  sparingly  loolhed  and  bristle  tipped;  the  base  wedge-shaped  or  rounded, 
frequently  one-sided.  Eventually  dark  green  and  glabrous  above,  rusty  grey  and 
pubescent  underneath.  Acoi-tis :  small;  almost  sessile.  Ciif  :  shallow  with  close 
scales.  Nut:  rounded  and  very  slightly  hollowed  at  the  apex.  A'cincl  :  bitter, 
orange-yellow. 

By  their  angular,  crisp  ctit  the  leaves  of  the  Spanish  oak  prcsi;nt  in  ilic 
forest  an  outline  distinctive  enough  to  mark  the  species  even  amid  an  abund- 
ant growth  of  other  things.  They  also  hang  downward  from  the  ends  of 
the  branches  and  so  produce  a  plume-like  effect.  The  young  shoots,  as  well 
as  the  under  side  of  the  leaves,  are  moreover  noticeably  covered  with  a 
greyish  down.  In  North  Carolina  where  this  oak  grows  freely  it  is  often 
and  quite  inappropriately  called  red  oak,  while  by  the  mountaineers  it  is 
again  one  of  the  genus  known  as  the  turkey  oak,  a  name  suggested  by 
the  fancied  resemblance  of  the  leaf's  outline  to  that  of  the  bird's  footprint. 
In  tannin  the  bark  of  the  tree  is  unusually  rich. 

Sometimes  on  the  side  of  an  oak  branch,  a  tiny  exuberance  will  excite 
the  curiosity, '  Probably  it  is  the  acorn  just  starting  on  its  young  life,  for 
the  Spanish  oak  and  the  group  to  which  it  belongs,  do  not  mature  their  fruit 
until  the  autumn  of  their  second  year. 

O.  pagodicfolia,  an  inhabitant  mostly  of  swamps,  is  peculiar  to  the  south- 
ern states  and  the  Mississippi  Valley.  In  April  its  very  slender,  staminate 
aments  cling  to  the  trees  with  the  young  and  then  purple  tinted  leaves. 
These  latter  are  pinnately  seven  to  eleven  lobed,  the  segments  being  broadly 
lanceolate  and  entire,  or  having  one  or  two  coarse  teeth  with  bristle  tipped 
apices.  A  close  grey  tomentum  covers  their  under  surfaces  and  slight 
traces  of  it  as  well  appear  on  their  lustrous  upper  sides.  The  rather  small 
acorns  are  sessile  or  grow  on  short  peduncles  while  their  cup  which  is 
broad  and  saucer-shaped  covers  to  nearly  its  middle  the  dull  brown  and 
striped  nut.  It  differs  chiefly  from  the  Spanish  oak  by  its  greater  size  and 
smoother  bark. 

Q.  Catcsbo'i,  turkey  oak,  or  scrub  oak,  is  noticeable  through  the  very 
highly  polished  upper  sides  of  its  leaves  and  the  yellowish  tomentum  which 
clings  to  their  under  surfaces.  In  outline  they  are  obovate  with  a  wedge 
shaped  base.  The  sinuses  of  the  falcate  and  bristle-tipped  lobes  are  broadly 
rounded  and  deep.  In  the  large  top-shaped  cups  the  acorns  are  imbedded  to 
above  their  middle  and  show  at  their  apices  a  slight  depression.  They  grow 
on  thick  peduncles.  Although  known  to  occur  at  various  heights  from 
twenty  to  sixty  feet,  Quercus  Catesbaei  is  also  shrubby  in  habit.  In  dry, 
sandy  barrens  it  grows  rapidly  and  while  not  at  all  handsome  produces  a 
good  stretch  of  foliage. 

Q.  Maryldndica,  black  Jack  or  barren  oak  which  is  quite  as  often  shrubby 


128  THE  BEECH  FAMILY. 

in  habit  as  it  is  a  small  tree,  bears  a  leaf  perhaps  more  peculiar  in  outline  than 
that  of  any  other  of  the  great  genus.  It  is  obovate,  and  spreads  broadly  above 
the  middle  into  from  three  to  five  short,  rounded  lobes  which  are  occasionally 
toothed  and  bristle-tipped.  At  maturity  these  leaves  are  dark  green  above, 
lustrous  and  smooth,  while  their  undersides  have  then  lost  nearly  all  traces 
of  the  rusty  pubescence  which  coated  them  in  younger  days.  The  bark  of 
black  Jack  is  very  dark,  rough  and  separates  into  plates. 

Q.  nana,  bear  or  scrub  oak,  rarely  becomes  a  small  tree,  but  as  a  shrub  it 
grows  closely  together  and  thus  forms  often  an  interwoven  and  extensive 
growth.  Although  mostly  a  northern  species  it  was  found  by  Dr.  Small  in 
North  Carolina  and  is  known  also  in  Virginia.  Its  obovate  leaves  have 
short  petioles  and  are  pinnately  three  to  seven  lobed,  their  apices  being 
toothed  and  bristle-tipped.  While  smooth  on  their  upper  surfaces  they  are 
a  dull  dark  green,  and  have  underneath  a  thick  grey  tomentum.  The  acorns 
are  not  very  large. 

A. A.     Leaves  bristle-tipped,  mostly  entire. 

SHINGLE  OAK.     {Plate  XLIV.) 

Quercus  imbricaria. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME   OF   BLOOM 

Beech.         Pyya»iidal  or  z,o-\oo  feet.  Tennessee  and  Georgia  to  April.,  May. 

oval.  Pennsylvania  and  ivestivard.     Fruit:   October. 

Bark  :  dark  grey  or  reddish  ;  smooth  on  the  young  stems  and  branches,  fissured 
and  covered  with  thick  apj^ressed  scales.  Leaves:  oblong  or  lanceolate-oblong, 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  projecting  when  young  the  midrib  ;  rounded  at  the  base 
or  tapering  into  the  petiole  ;  often  one-sided  ;  mostly  entire  ;  bright  green  and 
lustrous  above  ;  paler  below  and  covered  with  a  brownish  grey  tomentum  ;  de- 
ciduous. Flcnoers :  yellowish  green  and  appearing  with  the  leaves.  Stafninate 
aments  :  long  and  drooping  ;  pistillate  flowers,  solitary  or  a  few  borne  on  pubescent 
peduncles.  Acorns:  small,  maturing  the  second  season.  Citp :  flat;  saucer- 
shaped  with  closely  appressed  scales.  Nut :  one  quarter  to  one  half  an  inch  long; 
rounded,  yellowish  brown  ;  shiny. 

This  very  beautiful  and  symmetrical-growing  tree   was  first  described  by 

Andre  Michaux  who  saw  it  in  the  high  mountains  of  the    Alleghanies.     It 

belongs  to  the  group  of  entire  leaved  oaks  although  frequently  on  shoots  the 

leaves  are  lobed  and  resemble  in  general   appearance  the  willow  oak.     In 

alluvial  soil  and  where  the  climate  suits  it  well  it  becomes  very  handsome, 

well  deserving  a  place  in   ornamental  planting  and  especially  as  it  is  hardy 

as  far  northward  as  Massachusetts.     Through  its  western  range  it  is  called 

Jack   oak  or   black  Jack   although  mostly  we  associate    these  names  with 

Quercus  Marylandica.     In  North  Carolina   it  is  also  known   as  the  water 

oak.      As,  however,  its  coarsely-grained   wood   is   principally  used   for  the 

making  of  shingles,  the  very  practical  name  of  shingle  oak  seems  to  be  the 

one  which  will  eventually  best  designate  it  to  the  people. 


PLATE  XLIV.     SHINGLE  OAK.     Qiwrcns  imbricaru. 
(129) 


130  THE  BEECH  FAMILY. 

Q.  latirzfbh'a,  laurel  oak  or  water  oak,  {Plate  XL  V.)  grows  with  a  stately 
trunk  and  dense  round-topped  crown  to  sometimes  the  height  of  eighty  or 
one  hundred  feet.  With  its  very  lustrous  green  leaves  and  the  nearly  black 
bark  of  its  tall  stem,  it  forms  one  of  the  most  pleasing  individuals  of  the 
family,  at  times  appearing  almost  as  impressive  as  the  live  oak.  Along  the 
coast  from  Wilmington,  N.  C,  to  Louisiana  it  is  frequent  and  attains  its 
best  development  in  eastern  Florida.  Through  the  cities  it  is  much  planted. 
Its  oblong-oval  leaves  with  their  groov^ed,  yellow  petioles  and  bristle 
tipped  apices  are  in  general  entire,  although  those  of  the  young  shoots  are 
sometimes  undulately-lobed. 

Q.  Phellos,  willow,  or  peach-leaved  oak,  was  before  it  became  well  known 
regarded  by  botanists  as  being  quite  a  remarkable  individual.  It  is  tall  and 
attractive  with  narrowly  oblong  or  linear,  entire  leaves  from  one  and  a  half 
to  two  and  a  half  inches  long.  At  both  ends  they  are  pointed,  the  apex 
showing  a  bristle  tip.  When  they  are  mature  they  become  smooth  and  lus- 
trous on  both  sides.  In  texture  they  are  thick,  something  like  leather. 
The  very  small  and  pretty  acorns  have  a  flat  saucer-shaped  cup  which 
hardly  covers  more  than  a  quarter  of  the  nut.  About  Florida  the  tree 
blooms  as  early  as  March  through  moist  woods  and  in  swamps. 

Q.  brevifblia,  blue  Jack,  is  a  small  and  shapely  species  of  oak  which 
thrives  in  sandy  places  from  North  Carolina  to  Florida  and  westward.  Its 
oblong-lanceolate,  entire  leaves  are  wedge  shaped,  or  rounded  at  their  bases 
and  have  thick,  undulating  margins.  Some  of  them,  however,  show  lobes 
of  various  sliapes  near  the  apices,  or  along  the  sides.  The  acorns  which 
sit  closely  on  the  twigs  are  borne  very  profusely.  In  the  field  of  usefulness 
the  wood  is  only  valuable  for  fuel. 

Q.  pinnila,  running  oak,  is  a  shrub  which  spreads  itself  by  stolons  and 
covers  acres  and  acres  of  sandy,  barren  soil  along  the  coast  region.  Its 
small  elliptical,  or  oblanceolate  and  entire  leaves  have  very  short  petioles 
and  are  pointed  at  both  ends,  the  apices  being  bristle-tipped.  In  texture 
they  are  stiff  and  leather-like  with  a  pale,  greyish  down  underneath.  The 
nuts  which  are  well  sunken  in  a  rounded,  saucer-shaped  cup  ripen  at  the 
end  of  the  first  season.  It  seems  that  every  year  this  oak  is  more  or  less 
demolished  by  forest  fires  and  it  has  therefore  but  the  season's  growth  to 
make  its  very  fine  showing. 

Q.  myrtifbUa,  scrub  oak,  another  shrub,  forms  by  means  of  its  rigid 
stems  an  interwoven  growth  and  covers  as  low  thickets  acres  along  the 
sea  shore's  sandy  ridges,  and  borders  various  islands  from  South  Carolina 
to  Florida  and  Louisiana.  It  may  be  distinguished  by  its  obovate  or  oblong- 
lanceolate  leaves  with  their  entire  and  revolute  margins  and  which  are 
bristle-tipped  at   their   apices.     On   their  upper  sides   they  are   intensely 


PLATE  XLV.     LAUREL  OAK.     Oiicrcus  hjuri/olia. 
(130 


132  THE  BEECH  FAMILY.  | 

glossy  while  underneath  they  are  brownish.     The  very  small   acorns  are 
rather  light  coloured,  and  mature  the  second  year. 

^  i 

A. A. A.     Leaves  not  bristle-tipped.  I 

a.     Crenate  and  dentate. 

COW  OAK.     BASKET  OAK. 

Qucrcus  Micha iixii. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Beech. 

Rounded. 

'■^o-XQo  feet. 

Te.x 

as  and  Florida  to 
Delaware. 

April,  May. 
Fruit:  Sept.,  Oct. 

Bark :  ashy  grey,  breaking  off  in  thin  flakes.  Branchlets  :  marked  with  pale 
lenticels.  Leaves:  obovate,  or  oblong  with  slender  petioles,  pointed  at  the  apex 
and  wedge-shaj^ed  or  rounded  at  the  base,  the  margin  marked  with  small  pointed 
or  rounded  lobes,  l^right  green  and  lustrous  above,  covered  underneatli  with  a 
silvery  grey  tomentum.  Acorns:  sessile,  or  with  short  peduncles.  O/// rounded. 
Nut :  ovoid,  considerably  higher  than  the  cup,  and  ripening  during  the  first  sea- 
son.    Kernel:  edible;  sweet. 

Of  this  group  of  southern  white  oaks  there  is  hardly  one  more  handsome 
than  Quercus  Michauxiiwith  its  tall,  column-like  trunk  covered  as  it  is  with 
an  attractive  light  grey  bark.  It  grows  in  bottom  lands  and  low  swamps 
which  often  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year  are  covered  with  water. 
By  Mark  Catesby  it  was  first  described  and  he  thought  it  probably  the  equiv- 
alent of  Quercus  Prinus,  the  rock  chestnut  oak,  which  it  somewhat 
resembles  ;  and  for  some  time  it  passed  either  for,  or  as  a  variety  of  the  last 
mentioned  tree,  until  in  fact  its  characters  were  well  set  forth  by  Mr.  Nuttall 
and  other  notable  writers.  As  a  timber  tree  it  is  very  important,  being  use- 
ful in  constructions  of  various  sorts,  for  agricultural  implements,  fences, 
cabinet  work  and  many  other  things.  To  the  nut's  meat  there  is  an  un- 
usually sweet  taste,  a  fact  which  small  domestic  animals  appreciate  and 
for  which  the  negroes  have  an  especial  fondness. 

Q.  acinnindta,  chestnut  oak,  or  yellow  oak,  is  one  of  our  well  known  trees, 
and  is  renowned  for  its  majestic  and  forcible  beauty.  At  most,  it  grows  as 
tall  as  1 60  feet,  sending  up  a  straight  shaft  covered  with  a  silvery  white 
bark  which  is  broken  into  thin  scales.  Its  crown  is  rather  narrow  although 
finely  shaped.  The  leaves  hug  the  branches  closely.  They  are  obovate,  or 
lanceolate,  from  five  to  seven  inches  long  and  in  general  appearance  much 
resemble  those  of  the  true  chestnut  tree.  Above  they  are  green  and  shiny, 
pale  or  silvery  white  underneath  and  covered  with  a  fine,  grey  tomentum. 
Through  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee  these  leaves 
hold  to  their  best  known  outline.  When  they  assume,  however,  broader 
forms  they  resemble  the  foliage  of  Quercus  Prinus,  but  can  even  then  be  dis- 


THE  BEECH   FAAULY. 


33 


tinguished  by  the  glandular  tips  of  their  teeth.  In  May  when  the  tree 
blooms  and  the  leaves  are  young  and  tender  its  slender  maize  coloured 
aments  add  much  to  its  beauty.  The  acorns,  which  are  edible,  mature  in 
the  autumn  of  their  hrst  season. 

Q.  Prinus,  rock  chestnut  oak,  or  chestnut  oak,  bears  the  distinction  of 
having  been  one  of  the  first  American  oaks  to  be  known  in  Europe.  It  is 
tall,  usually  from  sixty  to  seventy  feet  high,  or  occasionally  one  hundred  feet, 
very  vigorous  and  of  majestic  appearance.  Along  the  rocky  banks  of 
streams,  or  on  dry  hillsides  through  the  Carolinas  and  in  Tennessee  it  is 
very  abundant.  The  tree  is,  in  fact,  an  Applachian  one,  although  it  occurs 
as  well  northward.  The  distinguishable  points  of  the  leaves  are  their 
oblong  or  broadly  obovate  outline  ;  their  rounded  or  tapering  bases  and  the 
many  coarse  and  crenate  lobes  of  their  margins.  Above  they  are  dark 
green,  glabrous  and  slightly  lustrous  while  below  they  are  pale  and  covered 
with  an  ashy  down.  The  acorns  of  this  species  have  gracefully  shaped 
cups  and  nuts,  rich  in  colour  which  arise  three  times  as  high  as  they.  In 
the  tree's  bark  tannin  is  plentiful  and  as  its  wood  shreds  easily,  the 
negroes  make  it  into  baskets,  or  even  brooms. 

Q.  platanotdes,  swamp  white  oak,  belongs  also  to  the  group  of  chestnut 
oaks  and  grows  along  borders  of  streams  and  in  swamps.  It  is  widely  dis- 
tributed, but  does  not  form  forests,  growing  mostly  in  groups  among  other 
trees.  From  thirty  to  seventy  feet  or  even  higher  it  occurs  and  has  a  light 
grey  bark  resembling,  as  is  implied  by  the  tree's  specific  name,  platanus  in 
its  manner  of  breaking  into  thin  flakes.  Another  point  of  distinction  is  the 
way  the  little  branches  droop  from  the  limbs  or  even  appear  on  the  trunk. 
The  obovate  and  bluntly  pointed  leaves  have  wedge-shaped  and  entire  bases 
while  along  their  margins  they  are  coarsely  toothed,  the  waves  becoming 
near  the  middle  so  large  as  to  resemble  small  lobes.  On  their  upper  sur- 
faces these  leaves  are  dark  green  and  smooth  while  below  they  are  pale  and 
covered  with  a  dense,  silvery  white  pubescence.  Commercially  the  wood 
of  this  tree  is  not  distinguished  from  that  of  Ouercus  alba  and  Ouercus 
macrocarpa. 

Q.  p7-ino)des^  scrub  chestnut  or  chinquapin  oak.  is  a  shrubby  species 
which  usually  grows  from  two  to  four  feet  high,  or  rarely  reaches  fifteen 
feet.  By  stolons  it  spreads  itself  and  thus  forms  thick  clumps  of  growth, 
occurring  in  sandy  soil  from  Texas  and  Alabama  as  far  northward  as  Maine. 
Its  leaves  are  obovate,  coarsely  toothed  along  the  margins,  and  have  on 
their  undersides  a  close  grey  tomentum.  During  the  first  season,  the 
acorns  mature. 


134 


FAMILY 


THE  BEECH  FAMILY. 

b.    Leaves  pmnately  lobed. 

OVERCUP  OAK.     SWAMP  OAK.     {Plate  XL  VL.) 
Quercus  Lyrata. 

SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Beech.         Routided;  branches  50-100 /t-^j'.  Texas,  Florida  and  March-May. 

pendulous.  Missouri.,  northtvard. 

Bark:  reddish  or  grey.  Leaves:  broadly-obovate  ;  petioled  ;  wedge-shaped  or 
narrowed  at  the  base  and  lyrately-pinnatifid  into  from  five  to  nine  broadly  lanceolate 
lobes  which  are  entire  or  toothed,  the  upper  pair  widely  divergent.  Sinuses: 
rounded,  deep.  Dark  green  and  glabrous  above,  covered  underneath  with  a  sil- 
very whi'te  tomentum,  or  being  nearly  smooth.  Acorns  :  solitary  ;  sessile,  or  grow- 
ing on  slender  peduncles.  Ctip  :  rounded  ;  thin,  with  ovate,  pointed  scales  and 
almost  covering  the  nut. 

Along  streams  or  often  in  ground  that  is  wet  throughout  the  year  this  oak 
seems  to  grow  frequently  with  such  companions  as  the  sweet  gum,  the  elm 
and  the  cow  or  basket  oak.  Sometimes  its  graceful  branches  droop  so  low 
as  to  touch  the  ground.  When  in  the  aututnn  its  foliage  has  turned  to  scar- 
let and  orange,  and  it  is  lit  by  a  ruddy  gleam  of  sunlight  it  looks  very  gay, 
but  not  more  so,  however,  than  the  sweet  gum. 

Q.  cilba,  the  white  oak,  stands  often  a  solitary,  towering  form,  a  grey  and 
stately  sentinel  for  many  years ;  or  again  numbers  of  the  species  are  seen 
together  forming  vast  and  valuable  forests.  The  tree's  pale  grey  bark,  con- 
siderably less  rough  than  that  of  most  other  oaks,  is  one  of  its  distinctive 
features.  Its  leaves  are  obovate,  and  pinnately  divided  into  from  three  to  nine 
ascending  lobes  which  extend  well  into  the  midrib  and  are  entire,  or  toothed. 
Above  they  are  bright  green,  but  paler  underneath  and  somewhat  glaucous. 
On  the  same  tree  often  different  forms  of  leaves  will  be  seen,  they  being 
very  variable.  Early  in  the  spring,  they  are  as  they  unfold,  a  bright  red, 
though  paler  below  and  covered  with  a  soft  pubescence.  Soon,  however, 
this  bright  colour  fades  and  they  turn  to  conventional  green.  It  is  then  not 
until  very  late  in  the  autumn  that  they  again  become  a  deep  red  and  cling, 
as  the  half-persistent  foliage  of  some  entire-leaved  oaks,  to  the  trees  long 
after  those  of  most  other  deciduous  ones  have  fallen.  As  a  timber  tree  the 
white  oak  is  of  considerable  renown,  being  used  for  ship  building,  in  various 
constructions,  interiour  finish  and  innumerable  other  ways. 

Q.  mhior,  post  oak  or  iron  oak,  bears  a  darkly  coloured  leaf  of  such 
brusque,  decided  outline  that  it  can  readily  be  identified  among  a  bundle  of 
leaves  of  the  various  species.  Its  largest  lobes  frequently  spread  out  at  almost 
right  angles  from  the  midrib  and  are  again  lobed  or  hollowed  at  their  apices. 
Underneath  they  are  covered  with  a  greyish  down  while  above  they  are 
either  smooth  in  age  or  roughened  by  fine  hairs.  Through  the  south  this 
tree  is  well  known,  and  its  timber,  which  is  similar  to  that  of  the  white  oak, 


FHA 


I 


PLATE   XLVI.     OVERCUP  OAK.     Qiinrus  Lynitj. 
('35) 


136  THE  BEFXH  FAMILY. 

has  a  large  field  of  usefulness.  In  Texas  and  the  Indian  territory  it  forms 
with  Ouercus  Marylandica,  the  "  cross  timbers."  Along  the  lower  slopes 
of  the  Alleghanies  the  country  people  call  it  by  the  same  name  as  they  do 
Quercus  digitata,  the  turkey  oak,  one  which  in  this  case  has  arisen  because 
wild  turkeys  feed  on  its  acorns  which  have  a  sweet  meat. 

Q.  macrocarpa,  mossy-cup  oak,  or  bur  oak,  was  discovered  in  1795  near 
Nashville  by  the  elder  Michaux.  It  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful as  well  as  the  largest  and  most  valuable  trees  of  this  remarkable  genus. 
Its  distribution  also  is  perhaps  wider  than  that  of  any  other  oak,  as  it  has 
strongly  the  power  to  adapt  itself  to  various  climatic  conditions.  By  the 
broad  corky  wings  on  its  young  branches  it  can  be  distinguished.  Its  great 
leaves  from  six  to  fifteen  inches  long  are  much  lobed,  especially  near  the 
middle  of  the  blades.  In  outline  they  are  obovate,  and  irregularly  lobed  or 
pinnatifid  into  five  to  seven  oblong  lobes  which  are  again  lobed  and  toothed. 
So  deeply  cleft  is  the  leaf  below  the  larger  lobes  that  the  sinus  sometimes 
extends  to  within  an  eighth  of  an  inch  of  the  midrib.  A  soft,  pale  or 
occasionally  rusty  down  covers  them  on  their  under  sides.  But  the  very 
large  acorns  are  to  many,  the  tree's  most  attractive  feature.  Often  they 
are  two  and  a  half  inches  broad  with  a  cup  so  deeply  and  finely  fringed 
about  its  summit  as  to  apparently  imbed  the  nut  in  a  small  bird's  nest.  As 
the  tree  occurs  northward  these  acorns  become  much  smaller  and  as  the 
fringe  therefore  is  proportionately  reduced  in  length  this  bit  of  beauty  is  les- 
sened. While  the  timber  of  the  bur  oak  is  similar  to  that  of  Quercus  alba 
it  is  superiour  to  it  in  strength. 

C.     Leaves,  entire,  sometimes  toothed,  or  rarely  bristle-tipped. 

LIVE  OAK.     {Plate  XL  VII.) 
Quercus  Virginidna. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Beech.  Cro7vn,  sp7end-  ^o-6o/eet.  Mexico  to  March,  April, 

itig,  broad.  Florida  and  Virginia.       Fruit:  Sept.,  Oct. 

Baik  :  dark  brown  ;  deeply  furrowed.  Branches:  greyish  brown  and  covered 
with  pale  lenticels.  Leaves  :  with  petioles  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long  ;  ovate- 
lanceolate  ;  with  rounded  or  pointed  apex  and  rounded  or  pointed  base  ;  entire, 
the  edges  inclined  to  curve  inward.  Occurring  also  in  a  spatulate  form  with 
minute  side  teeth  towards  the  apex.  Dark  green  and  glossy  above,  lighter  and 
pubescent  underneath  ;  thick  ;  firm  ;  evergreen.  Fioweis  :  appearing  with  the 
young  leaves  ;  the  staminate  ones  growing  in  long  axillary  catkins.  Acorns  : 
l3orne  on  long  stems.  Cup  :  grey,  or  light  brown  ;  deep  ;  pointed  at  the  base  and 
covered  with  closely  compressed,  fine  and  downy  scales  ;  slightly  fringed  about 
the  top.      Nui  :    dark  brown  ;    oval  ;   lustrous,  smooth. 

Few  trees  have  been  more  lauded  or  written  about  than  the  live  oaks,  and 
almost  inseparably  with  the  mention  of  them  come    thoughts  of  the  tilland- 


/  I 


PLATE  XLVII.     LIVE  OAK.     Oucrcus  Virgimana. 


138  THE  BEECH  FAMILY. 

sia,  swaying  from  their  great  boughis  and  impressions  of  their  grave  and 
faithful  aspect.  Strangers  travelling  through  the  gulf  and  southern  Atlantic 
states  are  usually  keenly  alive  to  the  beauty  of  this  tree  while  to  those  who 
have  grown  up  near  its  shade  it  is  a  familiar  friend.  Once  I  saw  a  child's 
playhouse  built  in  a  live  oak,  a  number  of  steps  making  it  accessible,  and 
here  a  tea  party  was  held  nearly  every  afternoon.  In  former  days  the  tree's 
timber  was  largely  used  in  ship  building,  but  now,  fortunately,  iron  is  sub- 
stituted. It  is  much  too  hard  and  difficult  to  work  to  be  available  for  many 
purposes,  although  it  is  very  handsome.  The  acorns  have  a  sweeter  meat 
than  those  of  any  other  oak  and  from  them  a  pleasing  oil,  similar  to  that  of 
almonds,  is  made.  The  Indians  are  known  to  have  utilised  them  to  flavour 
their  venison  soup  and  they  also  laid  them  by  for  food  during  the  winter. 

Q,  Chapmanii  caught  first  the  attention  of  Dr.  Chapman  as  it  grew -in 
front  of  his  own  dooryard.  He  thought  it,  however,  to  be  a  form  of  the 
post  oak,  Quercus  minor.  But  later  it  was  raised  to  specific  rank  by  Pro- 
fessor Sargent  who  then  named  it  in  honour  of  its  discoverer.  It  is  usually 
a  stiff  shrub,  growing  through  sandy  barrens  and  in  pine  lands  from  Florida 
to  South  Carolina,  although  in  the  streets  of  Appalachicola,  it  attains  arbor- 
escent proportions  and  grows  as  high  as  thirty  feet.  The  leaves  it  bears  are 
from  one  and  a  half  to  three  and  a  half  inches  long,  oblong-obovate  in  out- 
line, rounded  and  notched  at  the  apices  and  taper  to  form  squared  bases. 
Although  entire  their  margins  are  uneven  and  show  a  strong  inclination  to 
be  lobed,  or  to  even  project  those  that  are  blunt.  They  are  leather-like  and 
grow  very  closely  to  the  branches.  The  greyish  brown  cup  covers  about 
half  of  the  nut  and  is  at  its  summit  minutely  fringed. 

Quercus  minima  seems  to  have  touched,  when  in  comparison  with  such 
great  oaks  as  Quercus  alba  and  macrocarpa,  the  other  extreme  of  the 
family.  It  is  a  strange  little  plant  with  oblong,  or  oblanceolate  leaves  from 
an  inch  to  one  and  a  half  inches  long.  On  their  margins  they  are  revolute 
and  entire,  or  very  irregularly  toothed.  In  early  days  they  are  a  pale  apple- 
green,  although  showing  on  their  under  sides  a  much  darker  colour.  The 
greyish  cups  are  top-shaped  and  finely  fringed  at  their  summits  while  the  ob- 
long nuts,  projecting  the  base  of  the  style,  arise  considerably  above  them. 


thp:  elm  family.  13^ 


THE  ELM  FAMILY. 

A  group  of  trees  or  shrubs  ivith  sifuple^  alternate  and  pet  ioled  leaves 
/laviJig  stipules  at  their  bases  ;  and  which  are  pinnately-veined,  oitire  or 
in  various  ways  serrate.  Flowers  :  very  small ^  perfect^  monoecious  or 
dioecious.     Petals  :  none.     Fruit :  a  samara^  or  a  s??iall,  siceet  drupe. 

{Plate  XLVIII.) 

Ulmus  scrot)na. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Elm.         Spreading,  dyanches  ^o-so/eet  Georgia,   Tennessee^  Early  autumn. 

pendulous.  or  more.  Alabama.  Fruit:  November. 

Bark  ;  light  grey  ;  close.  Branc/ilets  :  reddish  brown  and  marked  with  ])ale, 
cell-like  dots  ;  becoming  corky-winged  with  age.  Leaves:  one  and  a  half  to  three 
inches  long,  with  glabrous  or  glabrate  petioles  about  one  quarter  of  an  inch  in  Icngtii ; 
oblong  to  oblong-obovate,  taper-pointed  at  the  apex  and  narrowed  or  rounded  at 
the  base  ;  mostly  one-sided  ;  innnately-veined  ;  doubly  and  coarsely  serrate  ; 
yellowish  green  and  lustrous  above  ;  slightly  pubescent  underneath  along  the  ribs. 
Flower  buds  :  axillary  ;  smooth  ;  shiny  and  being  noticeable  on  the  tree  when  in 
full  leaf.  Flowers  :  minute,  growing  on  jointed  pedicels  in  drooping  racemes. 
Calyx  :  with  obovate  lobes,  divided  to  below  the  middle.  Samaras  :  bright 
green,  oval,  or  ovate  and  surrounded  with  a  white  silky  fringe. 

This  remarkable  elm  seems  not  to  be  very  generally  known  even  to  the 
world  of  science.  In  its  way  of  blooming  late  in  the  autumn  it  is  unusual,  for 
then  its  delicate  sprays  of  flowers  mingle  with  leaves  which  have  lost  even 
their  autumn  orange  colouring  and  have  turned  to  the  dull  tobacco  tints  of 
the  later  season.  In  fact,  before  the  pale,  apple-green  samaras  fairly  gleam 
through  the  tree,  its  leaves  have  nearly  all  fallen.  In  Dr.  Chapman's 
southern  flora  and  by  Professor  Sargent,  in  his  silva,  the  tree  has  been  con- 
fused with  Ulmus  racemosa,  although  under  that  name  specimens  of  its 
leaves  only  have  been  distributed.  It  is,  no  doubt,  the  Ulmus  racemosa  of 
the  south  and  it  was  not  until  1898,  that  the  tree  was  found  blooming  in 
October  by  Mr.  John  Muir,  Mr.  Canby  and  Professor  Sargent,  the  latter 
afterwards  naming  it  Ulmus  serotina.  Mr.  Boynton  of  the  Biltmore  Her- 
barium also  saw  its  flowers  at  Rome,  Georgia ;  where  in  the  streets  it  is 
much  planted  as  a  shade  tree,  growing  well  and  displaying  a  large,  hand- 
some crown.  Other  places  where  it  grows  are  along  the  river  banks  of  the 
French  Broad  near  Dandridge  ;  the  Cumberland  near  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
and  also  near  Huntsville,  Alabama. 

U.  alata,  winged  elm  or  wahoo,  designates  a  small  tree  which  is  mostly 


PLATE  XLVlll.     Ulmus  scrotina. 
(140) 


THE  ELM  FAMILY,  141 

confined  to  the  south  between  Vh-ginia  and  Florida.  Its  crown  is  open  and 
either  oval  or  rounded  while  the  branches  are  marked  by  wide,  corky  ridges, 
wing-like  in  appearance.  For  an  elm,  the  tree's  foliage  is  small,  the  leaves 
averaging  about  one  and  a  half  inches  long.  About  their  margins  they  are 
doubly  serrate  and  somewhat  rough  on  their  upper  surfaces.  The  samaras 
which  are  pubescent  are  surrounded  with  a  close,  silky  fringe. 

U.  fi'dva,  the  slippery,  or  red  elm  which  as  weir  occurs  through  our 
range,  has  greyish,  rough  branches  quite  without  corky  wings.  A  well 
marked  feature  of  the  leaves  also  is  the  extreme  roughness  on  their  upper 
sides  and  their  comparatively  soft  pubescence  underneath.  The  semi-orbic- 
ular samaras  have  a  winged  and  unciliate  margin  which  is  considerably 
wider  than  the  small  seed.  But  by  its  slippery  and  fragrant  inner  bark  the 
tree  is  best  known  ;  it  being  found  good  to  chew  on  by  country  folk  and 
also  greedily  sought  by  herbalists.  The  name  red  elm  has  been  associated 
with  the  tree  on  account  of  the  reddish  colour  of  its  wood.  It  is  also 
known  as  the  moose  elm. 

U.  Americana,  American,  or  white  elm  although  occurring  through  our 
range  as  far  southward  as  Florida,  has  hardly  so  recognised  a  place,  nor  is 
it  loved  with  so  deep  an  affection  as  it  is  in  its  true  home,  New  England. 
Much  too  well  known  is  it,  however,  to  need  a  close  description.  Through 
its  gracefully  arched  branches  it  stands  always  a  distinctive  feature  on  the 
landscape,  spreading  its  spray-like  crown  like  that  of  a  great  fountain. 
Further  it  may  be  known  because  its  branches  are  without  cork/  wings  ;  its 
foliage  almost  smooth  above  and  showing  at  maturity  small  traces  under- 
neath of  its  early  pubescence.  In  drooping  clusters  the  very  small  flowers 
grow  and  appear  earfy  in  the  season,  some  time,  in  fact,  before  the  leaves. 

To  this  beautiful  tree  there  has  been  attached  since  the  early  days  of 
America  strong  feelings  of  sentiment.  In  New  England  are  still  a  number 
of  historical  individuals  as  well  as  those  famous  for  their  size  and  venerable 
age,  while  in  the  early  days  of  Massachusetts  the  Indians  carried  them  to 
the  white  man's  door  to  plant  as  a  tribute  of  friendship. 

In  parts  of  the  old  country  the  native  elm  is  held  to  be  symbolical  of  St. 
Zenobias,  as  one  that  was  supposed  to  be  dead  budded  and  burst  into  life 
when  the  coffin  of  that  saint  was  carried  by. 

SOUTHERN  HACKBERRY. 


Celt  is  Mississippii'nsis. 

(EIGHT  RANGE 

>8oy"<?^/.  Texns^  Florida  a 

souri  to  North  Ci 

Bark:    light   grey,     rough,    with     wart-like    excrescences.     Lid'xs :    ovate  or 


FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

E/m.  Broad:  dra  Hi  lies         6o-io/eet.  Texns^  Florida  and  Mis'  A  foil. 

drooping.  souri  to  North  Carolina.        Fruit:  Jit/y,  A  ngitst. 


142 


THE  ELM  FAMILY. 


lanceolate,  taper-pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded  or  slightly  cordate  at  the  base, 
somewhat  one-sided;  entire,  occasionally  showing  a  few,  sharp  teeth;  pin- 
nately  veined,  bright  green  and  glabrous  on  both  sides  ;  thin.  Flowers  :  axillary  ; 
the  stanunate  ones  in  clusters  ;  the  fertile  ones  growing  solitary  and  drooping 
from  the  end  of  a  slender  pedicel.  FntU :  a  small,  globular  drupe  ;  reddish, 
sweet. 

Almost  until  the  approach  of  winter  the  lively-looking  foliage  of  this  tree 
remains  on  its  boughs  and  so  constitutes  its  chief  charm,  as  in  the  late  sea- 
son it  is  seen  growing  through  rich  bottom  lands,  or  less  often  dry  soil 
where  gaunt  and  bare  branches  predominate.  To  the  hackberry  it  is  a 
very  similar  tree  although  much  less  known  and  with  a  more  restricted 
range.     In  commerce  its  timber  is  confused  with  that  of  its  relative. 

C.  occidentdlis,  hackberry,  sugar  berry,  or  false  elm,  is  so  appropriately 
called,  as  often  it  is  strongly  suggestive  of  an  old  elm.  Commonly  it 
attains  to  fine  proportions,  a  number  of  individuals  having  been  reported 
which  measure  quite  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  high.  From  an 
elm,  however,  it  can  readily  be  distinguished,  for  its  fruit  is  a  globular  drupe 
instead  of  a  dry  samara.  At  maturity  these  drupes  are  nearly  black,  and 
somewhat  larger  than  those  of  the  southern  hackberry.  Its  leaves  also 
principally  differ  from  those  of  that  species  in  being  sharply  serrate.  Few 
trees  are  as  widely  distributed  through  North  America,  although  in  some 
places,  as  New  England,  it  occurs  but  seldom.  Its  indifference  to  soil 
and  climate,  however,  makes  it  present  a  number  of  forms.  Often  it  grows 
with  the  box-elders  and  red  cedars  when  its  presence  is  vigourous  and 
attractive.  In  cultivation  its  desirability  seems  to  be  comparatively  little 
appreciated,  although,  as  the  preceding  species  it  retains  its  green  foliage 
until  late  in  the  season, 

A  dwarf  form  exists,  very  like  this  species,  which  is  called  Celtis  pumila. 


THE  MULBERRY  FAMILY,  143 

THE  MULBERRY  FAMILY. 

Moracece, 

Trees  or  shrubs,  mostly  witJi  a  milky  juice  and  witJi  siuiple,  alternate 
or  opposite  petioled  leaves  witJi  large ^early-f  alii /li^  stipules  j  and  small 
flowers,  either  mojuvcious  or  dioecious  which  grow  in  axillary  clusters. 
Petals  :  7ione. 

RED  nULBERRV. 

Morns  riibra. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

I\Iulberry.         CroTvn.roufui^  dense;        \^-6o/eeL         Texas  and  Florida  to         Aprils  May. 
branches,  spreading.  Vermont  and  zuestward.     Fruit:  June. 

Bark:  greyish  brown  ;  rough  and  separating  into  plates.  Leaves  :  three  to 
seven  inches  long  ;  ovate  ;  approaching  orbicular,  with  pointed  apex  and  rather 
cordate  base  ;  or  frequently  occurring  on  vigourous  shoots  with  unequal  lobes  at 
the  sides  when  the  sinuses  are  rounded  ;  coarsely  serrate  ;  thin  ;  yellow-green 
and  rough  on  the  upper  surface  when  young,  becoming  dark  bluish  green  and 
smooth  ;  paler  and  downy  or  smooth  below.  Ribs  :  whitish  and  distinct. 
Floioers  :  growing  in  axillary,  catkin-like  spikes;  either  dicecious,  or  monoecious 
usually  the  latter.  Fruit  :  similar  in  appearance  to  a  long,  wild  blackberry  ;  red, 
turning  when  ripe  to  a  rich,  dark  purple;  edible  ;  sweet. 

Sometimes  when  the  spring  takes  a  precocious  frolic  small  leaves  burst 
out  on  the  mulberry  in  the  low  country  as  early  as  January  and  by  the  in- 
coming of  March  the  fruit,  although  it  does  so  innocently,  dangles  tempt- 
ingly to  some  northern  blast  which  swoops  down  upon  it  and  chills  even 
the  sap  which  so  merrily  is  running  to  the  tree's  top-most  tips.  So  is  often 
disproved  the  old  superstition  of  western  countries  that  frost  ceases  as 
soon  as  the  mulberry  comes  into  leaf.  The  fruit  which  has  too  insipid  a 
flavour  to  be  much  eaten,  is  being  considerably  made  into  syrups. 

M.  alba,  white  mulberry,  an  exotic  species,  is  much  planted  about 
habitations.  I>y  its  white,  pinkish  tinted  fruit  it  is  known  and  because  its 
leaves  are  smooth  and  lustrous  on  both  sides.  In  the  east  they  have  long 
been  the  favourite  food  for  silk  worms. 

Broussonetia papyri/era,  paper  mulberry,  is  frequently  seen  in  the  south 
where  it  has  escaped  from  cultivation,  it  being  originally  an  introduced 
tree  from  China  and  Japan.  Its  leaves  might  very  readily  be  mistaken  for 
those  of  Morus  rubra.  The  fleshy  fruit,  however,  is  globular,  or  club-shaped 
and  not  edible. 


H4 


THE  MULBERRY  FAMILY, 

OSAGE  ORANGE. 

Toxylon  pomifermn. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Mtiibey  ry. 

Spreading. 

lo-to  feet. 

Texas  and  Al issonri 
to  Kansas. 

May^Jitne 
Fruit:  Oct.,  Nov. 

Bark  :  brown,  ridged.  Spines :  about  three  inches  long,  straight,  stout.  Leaves  : 
ovate,  or  ovate-lanceolate,  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded,  or  sub-cordate 
at  the  base,  pinnately-veined;  entire  ;  bright  green  and  glabrous  at  maturity. 
Flowers  :  dioecious  ;  axillary  ;  the  staminate  ones  growing  in  racemes;  the  pistillate 
ones  in  rounded  heads,     /''ruit  :  growing  in  a  large,  yellowish  and  globular  ball. 

A  very  beautiful  tree  is  the  osage  orange  when  it  stands  alone  and  its  ripe 

o-olden  balls  of  fruit  gleam  through  its  vividly  green  and  lustrous  leaves  as 

though  they  were  so  many  large  oranges.      Sometimes  it  is  thus  seen  in  the 

east  where  in  rich  soil  it   has  sprung  up  spontaneously.     And  hardly  less 

attractive  is  it  when  growing  through  its  natural  range  as  a  hedge  plant.     So 

thick  and  abundant  is  then  its  foliage  that  it  seems  as  though  a  bird  could 

hardly  slip  through  its  meshes.     It  is  in  fact  said  by  ones  that  "  claim  to 

know,"  that  it  is  used  as  a  hedge  about  fruit  gardens  for  the  very  purpose  of 

keeping  out  these  unscrupulous  marauders ;  its  long  spines  greatly  impeding 

their  passage  through  the  thickets.     The  hedges  are  not  very  high,  but  to 

ask  why  the  birds  do  not  fly  over  them  would  be  perhaps  too  suspicious  a 

question.     The   plant  belongs   to  a  monotypic  genus.     Its    bright  orange 

wood  is  hard  and  durable,  while  the  root's  bark  is  gathered  by  the  country 

people  and  made  yearly  into  a  yellow  dye. 


THE  niSTLETOE  FAHILY. 

Loranthacece. 
A  laf'ge  group  mostly  tropical  of  parasitic  herbs,  or  shrubs  with 
o-reen  colouring  matter  and^vhich  choose  as  hosts  ivoody  plants.  Leaves  : 
sifnple  ;  opposite  ;  evergreen  in  our  species.  Floivers  :  regular,  very  va- 
riable in  groivth  and  habit.  Fruit :  a  round,  fleshy  berry  eftclosi?ig  a  soli- 
tary seed. 

AMERICAN  niSTLETOE. 
Phoradendron  flavescejis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mistletoe.  Greenish.  Scentless.  Florida  to  Friiit:    August, 

Pen  nsylva  n  ia.  September. 

Flowers:    insignificant;    growing    in    axillary    spikes.     Berry:    white;    sessile. 
Leaves  :  oblong,  or  oblong-lanceolate  rounded  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base 


THE  MISTLKTOK  FAMILV. 


US 


into    the    petiole;    entire;    leather-like;    yellowish  green,  smooth.     A    branching 
shrub,  mostly  glabrous  with  very  brittle  twigs  at  the  base. 


ERHAPS   in   the   golden   sunlight   of  an  autumn  day  the 

mystic  mistletoe  appears  the  more  beautiful  as  strong  lights 

play  through,  and  lighten  its  yellowish    green    foliage.     As 

t  is  parasitic  on  deciduous-leaved  trees  it  has  at  this  season 

a  dusky  background  which   throws    it    strongly  into 

prominence.     So  vigorous  is  often  its  growth   on  the 

trees  that  it  hangs  from  their  boughs  in  large  bunches. 

From  the  oaks,  gums  and  red  maple  it  displays  first 

its    insignificant   bloom   and  later  its  little  pearl-like 

berry. 

Going  slowly  along  the  St.  John's  river,  where  fairly 
it  mantles  many  of  the  trees,  the  yellow  tint  of  its 
foliage  could  be  seen  from  a  long  distance.  It,  and 
the  water  hyacinth,  seemed  to  be  the  only  plants  that 
were  known  by  name  to  the  purser  of  the  boat  we 
journeyed  on,  although  he  had  gone  up  and  down  the 
river  for  eighteen  years,  and  he  took  the  greatest 
delight  in  pointing  it  out  over  and  over  again  to  the  passengers.  The  very 
name  "  mistletoe  "  had  for  him  some  potent  charm. 

In  European  lore  the  mistletoe  is  one  of  the  plants  that  has  been  looked 
upon  as  an  embodiment  of  lightning,  probably  because  its  branch  is  forked, 
and  in  almost  every  country  it  has  had  ascribed  to  it  virtue  of  various  sorts. 
As  a  cure  for  epilepsy  and  nightmare,  a  protection  against  sorcery,  it  has 
among  innumerable  other  things  been  much  revered.  Its  parasitic  growth 
proclaimed  it  to  be  of  divine  origin  ;  the  missil-bird,  or  again  the  mistletoe 
thrush,  at  the  direct  instigation  of  the  gods  being  believed  to  have  first 
deposited  its  seeds  on  the  branches  of  trees. 


THE  SANDALWOOD  FAMILY. 

Saiitalaccce. 

hi  our  range  embrncvig  a  group  of  parasitic  shrubs^  or  herbs  ivith 
simple,  entire,  exs'ipi(lalt\  alternate,  or  opposite  leai'es  and most/y  greenis//, 
perfect  or  imperfect  flowers.  Petals  :  none.  Prnit :  a  nut  or  i/rupe,  con- 
taining one  seed. 


146  THE  SANDALWOOD  FAMILY. 

BUCKLEYA.  {Plate  XLIX.) 

Biickleya  distichophylla. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME   OF    BLOOM 

Sandalwood. 

Greenish. 

Scentless. 

Paint  Rock,  JV.  C. 
and  adjacent  Tcfinessee. 

May. 
Fruit:  September. 

Flowers :  minute  ;  dioecious;  the  fertile  ones  solitary  and  terminal  at  the  end  of 
short  twigs,  with  four  sepal-like  bracts,  the  sterile  ones  smaller,  growing  in  a 
cluster,  and  having  four  stamens.  Drupe  :  oblong,  with  distinct  furrows  and 
dotted  finely  with  orange  colour.  Leaves  :  opposite  or  nearly  so,  in  two  ranks  ; 
ovate-lanceolate,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  pointed  or  rounded  at  the  base;  entire  ; 
thin;  pubescent  or  glabrate.  Bar^  0/ liui^s :  greyish  ;  erect;  branching.  An 
ascending,  slender  shrub,  ten  to  twelve  feet  high  ;  parasitic. 

Buckleya  is  a  strange  plant  and,  with  the  exception  of  its  foliage  being 
delicate  and  graceful,  would  be  rather  an  uninteresting  one,  were  it  not  that 
it  is  so  exclusive  in  its  habitat  and  was  for  so  long  a  puzzle  to  scientific 
men.  Of  all  the  rare  plants  in  America  it  is  one  of  the  most  rare.  At 
present  its  only  known  stations  are  near  Paint  Rock,  North  Carolina,  and 
Wolf  Creek,  Tennessee.  As  early  as  1816  the  plant  was  collected  by  Mr. 
Thomas  Nuttall,  who,  returning  from  the  west,  travelled  up  the  valley  of  the 
French  Broad  River.  He  referred  the  species  to  the  genus  Borya.  More 
than  twenty  years  later,  however,  Mr.  S.  B.  Buckley  visited  Paint  Rock 
and  making  collections  from  the  shrubs  sent  his  material  to  Dr.  Torrey,  who, 
recognising  the  real  character  of  the  plants,  dedicated  in  Mr.  Buckley's 
honour  a  new  genus  to  embrace  them. 

When  Dr.  Asa  Gray  first  found  it  at  Paint  Rock  he  took  away  a  root 
which  was  eventually  planted  at  Cambridge,  Mass.  Here  it  grew  for  many 
years,  but  could  never  be  propagated. 

Eventually,  Professor  Sargent  went  to  Paint  Rock  and  found  the  plants  in 
fruit.  Many  of  the  seeds  he  then  carried  to  the  Arnold  Arboretum,  where 
they  were  sown  and  began  to  grow  satisfactorily.  In  the  meantime,  however, 
the  fact  that  the  plant  was  a  parasite  became  known  through  experiments 
made  at  Biltmore  and  that  to  secure  its  absolute  well-being  it  should  be 
provided  with  a  host  plant.  It  greatly  prefers,  it  would  seem,  to  live  on  the 
roots  of  Tsuga  Canadensis.  That  the  old  plant  at  Cambridge  lived  so  long 
without  this  aid  was  probably  because  in  the  transplanting  of  it  Dr.  Gray 
had  carried  off  with  its  roots  enough  native  material  for  it  to  subsist  on. 
The  peculiar  little  nuts  of  Buckleya  are  not  unpleasantly  flavoured  and  very 
abundant  in  oil. 


NESTRONIA. 

Ne  sir  bill  a  timbclhda. 

FAMILY 

dahvood. 

COLOUR 

Greenish. 

ODOUR                          RANGE 

Scentless.           A  labavta  to  Virginia. 

TIME  OF   BLOOM 
April,  May. 

Flo^vers :  dioecious  ;  the   staminate  ones  growing  in  axillary  umbels,  the  calyx 


PLATE  XLIX.     BUCKLEYA.     Biickhyj  disticliophvll.i. 
(147) 


1 48  THE  SANDALWOOD  FAMILY. 

top-shaped  with  four  or  five  rounded  segments.  Stamens:  four  or  five  ;  short. 
Pistillate  Jlozvers:  solitary;  axillary,  their  tubes  long  and  lobes  very  short ;  glaucous. 
Drupe:  globose;  reddish  purple.  Leaves:  small;  opposite  with  slender  petioles 
oblong  or  ovate;  entire  ;  pinnately-veined  ;  thin  ;  bright  green  above,  paler  below; 
glabrous  on  both  sides.     A  low  branching  shrub,  one  to  three  feet  high,  parasitic. 

Growing-  in  woods  that  border  streams,  or  those  composed  of  pines 
we  sometimes  find  this  plant  which  is  the  representative  of  a  monotypic 
genus  of  the  southeastern  United  States.  Usually  it  is  parasitic  on  the 
roots  of  the  yellow  pine,Pinus  echinata,  or  other  species  of  pines  and  es- 
pecially it  has  a  fondness  for  the  black  oak.Ouercus  velutina. 

BUFFALO=NUT.     OIL=NUT.     RABBIT=WOOD. 

Pyruldria  piiber'a. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Sandalwood.  Greenish.  Scentless.         Georgia  to  Pennsylvania.  JLiy. 

Floruers  :  tiny;  dioecious;  both  sorts  growing  in  terminal  racemes.  Staminate 
racemes  :  compact,  with  m  iny  flowers,  their  calyxes  being  from  three  to  five  cleft. 
Pistillate  racemes:  short  with  few  flowers  the  calyxes  of  which  are  top-shaped  and 
adnate  to  the  ovary.  Fruit:  a  pear-shaped,  fleshy  drupe,  showing  at  its  apex  the 
five  calyx-lobes.  Leaves:  alternate;  oblong  or  obovate,  pointed  at  the  apex  and 
rounded  or  tapering  into  the  petiole  at  the  base  ;  entire;  thin  ;  especially  jjubescent 
underneath  when  young.  A  parasitic  shrub,  two  to  fifteen  feet  high  with  greyish 
branches. 

In  Cherokee  County,  Georgia,  this  straggling  shrub  was  discovered  by 
the  elder  Michaux,  when  he  was  making  his  first  visit  to  the  mountains.  It 
there  grew  in  rich,  shaded  soil.  While  its  bloom  is  most  insignificant,  the 
leaves  are  very  attractive  and  its  curious  fruit,  similar  in  shape  to  that  of  a 
pear,  has  suggested  its  generic  name.  Not  until  the  buffalo-nut  had  been 
experimented  with  at  Biltmore  was  it  successfully  propagated,  but  the  like 
experience  there  concerning  buckleya  furnished  a  strong  clue  to  its  being  of 
parasitic  nature.  For  its  hosts  it  selects  often  the  roots  of  the  strawberry 
shrub,  Butueria  fertilis,  on  which  it  sometimes  wreaks  great  harm.  It  is, 
however,  by  no  means  restricted  to  this  species.  The  endosperm  of  the  seed 
is  very  oily  while  the  roots  are  marked  by  their  disagreeable  odour. 

By  the  mountaineers  the  plant  seems  to  be  wholly  known  as  the  "  rabbit- 
wood,"  for  these  animals  gnaw  its  bark  to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  quite  un- 
usual to  find  one  which  has  not  been  more  or  less  peeled. 


THK  iilKlllWORl'  FAMILY.  ,^g 

THE  BIRTHWORT  FAHILY. 

A  risiolocliiacca\ 

Including  a  number  of  herbs,  or  shrubs  cither  acaulescent  or  loHh 
erect,  or  twining  leafy  stems.  Leai'cs:  either  tuisa/,  or  alternate  on  the 
ste7ns;  usually  cordate,  reniform  or  entire.  J'loivers :  perfect,  rather 
large,  terminal  or  axillary  a n.l  growing  solitary,  or  in  clusters.  J'etals: 
no?ie, 

LARGE=FLOWERED  ASARUM. 

jlsarum  sJiuttlciobrthi. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  time  OF  BLOOM 

Bi>t/iwort.     Greenish  yellow^  mottled  Like  ging;i-r.  I'ir^inia  awi  June    Iuiy 

with  brozvn  and  purple.  North  Carolina. 

Flowers:  solitary;  growiiig  toward  the  ground  on  a  smooth  peduncle  which 
sjirings  from  the  fork  of  the  leaves.  Calyx  :  cami)anulate,  not  contracted  in  the 
throat,  with  tiiree  spreading  and  stimewhat  unequal  lobes;  bluntly  pointed  at  the 
apex,  marked  within  with  deep  reddish  purple.  J\Uxls  :  none.  Stumcfis  :  twelve, 
adnate  to  the  ovary.  Filaniciits:  very  short.  Styles:  six,  minutely  two-lobed.' 
Leaves:  one  or  two  arising  from  the  base,  with  long  smooth  petioles;  broadly 
ovate,  or  orbicular;  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex  and  deeply  cordate  at  the  base, 
the  sinuse  narrow;  entire;  bright  green  above,  lighter  below;  glabrous;  thick  ;  ever' 
green.     Kootstock:    branched. 

To  the  attention  of  plant  lovers  this  species  of  asartim  was  first  forcibly 
brought  by  Dr.  Small,  and  in  its  woody  mountainous  home,  as  well  as  in 
cultivation,  it  is  perhaps  the  most  valuable  of  the  interesting  genus.  Al- 
though its  flowers  are  not  showy,  they  are  very  quaint,  while  the  vigorous 
foliage  has  a  cheerful,  sprightly  look  throughout  the  winter  and  still  appears 
fresh  in  early  spring.  The  rootstock  is  noted  for  its  flavour  being  similar  to 
that  of  ginger.  The  flowers  exhale  the  odour  of  the  earth,  in  which  so 
often  they  are  nearly  buried. 

A.  Virginicum,  Virginia  asarum,  or  wild  ginger,  is  not  so  large  a  plant  as 
the  preceding  species  and  bears  a  smaller  flower  which  is  considerably  con- 
tracted in  the  throat.  Often  as  many  as  three  small,  orbicular  and  cordate 
leaves  arise  from  the  base  of  one  plant,  and  its  blossoms  also  are  quite 
abundant.  From  Georgia  to  Virginia  it  occurs  in  woods,  and  in  the  autumn 
the  country  people  go  forth  to  collect  its  rhizomes  for  medicinal  uses. 
During  the  winter  the  leaves  which  have  lasted  over,  emit  when  bruised  a 
delightful  fragrance. 

A.  Canadense,  wild  ginger  or  asarabacca,  is  perhaps  the  most  generally 
known  and  widely  distributed  species  of  the  genus.  The  flower's  caly.x  lobes 
are  lanceolate,  pointed  and  recurved,  and  the  leaves,  as  well  as  other  parts 


150  THE  BIRTHWORT  FAMILY. 

of  the  plant,  have  a  conspicuous,  velvety  pubescence.     The   rootstock    is 
flavoured  something  like  ginger. 

A.  arifbliiini,  halberd- leaved  asarum,  I  found  in  bloom  on  mountains 
bordering  North  Carolina,  which  were  not  very  far  distant  from  the  limit  of 
its  northern  range,  Virginia.  Its  large  hastate  leaves  quickly  told  its  species, 
although  at  times  they  are  known  to  occur  almost  heart-shaped.  It  also 
bears  sriiall  flowers  which  grow  very  closely  to  the  ground.  In  texture  the 
jhaves  are  not  nearly  so  thick  as  those  of  A.  Virginicum,  although  they  too 
endure  throughout  the  winter. 

DUTCHMAN'S  PIPE.     {Plate  L.) 
Aristolbchia  niacrophylla. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Birth7uort.         Greenish  and  Scentless.  Tennessee  and  Georgia  to  May ^  June, 

purplish  brown.  Pennsylvania  and  westward. 

Flo'vers  :  growing  on  long,  axillary  peduncles  which  have  rounded,  clasping 
bracts  near  their  middle.  Ca/j'x  tube  :  inflated;  curved  upward  and  becoming  con- 
tracted in  the  throat ;  the  limb  three-lobed;  spreading  and  purplish  brown.  Sla- 
■meiis  :  six.  Capsule:  oblong,  sometimes  four  inches  long.  Leaves:  often  a  foot 
long,  with  slender  petioles;  orbicular  or  broadly  reniform,  pointed  at  the  apex 
and  deeply  cordate  at  the  base,  entire;  thin;  softly'pubescent  underneath,  especially 
when  young.     A  smooth,  woody,  branched  vine. 

Twining  over  rocks  and  trees  in  the  more  northern  parts  of  the  southern 
states,  sometimes  growing  to  an  astonishing  length,  this  adventurous  vine 
throws  out  so  abundantly  its  great  leaves  that  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  find 
its  stems  and  flowers.  When  the  latter  come  to  view,  however,  they  are 
very  quaint,  as  the  curious  curving  of  the  calyx  with  its  spreading  limb  forms 
a  structure  very  like  an  old  Dutch  pipe.  As  a  genus  this  one  is  remarkable 
for  the  diversity  of  its  members  in  colour,  size  and  even  odour.  All  are  in- 
teresting plants.  While  through  our  range  there  are  other  species  than 
those  that  have  been  included,  it  is  thought  that  enough  have  been  mentioned 
to  give  a  showing  of  the  group. 

A.  tomentbsa,  woolly  pipe-vine,  bears  a  specific  and  common  name  sug- 
gested, no  doubt,  by  the  dense  white  tomentum  which  covers  its  every  part. 
Aside  from  this  trait  it  is  a  similar  vine  to  the  Dutchman's  pipe  although  its 
flowers  and  leaves  are  smaller,  the  latter  measuring  at  most  about  five  inches 
in  length.  From  North  Carolina,  it  occurs  in  rich  woods  to  Alabama,  Mis- 
souri and  Florida. 

A.  Serpentdria,  Virginia  snake-root,  an  erect,  leafy  herb,  is  considerably 
known  through  our  district,  the  people  collecting  its  fibrous,  aromatic  roots 
in  the  autumn  to  use  in  medicinal  ways.  In  dry  woods  it  grows  and  espe- 
cially in  rich  leaf  mold  which  has  found  a  lodgement  in   crevices  of  rocks. 


PLATE  L.     DUTCHMAN'S  PIPE.     Aristolochia  wjcrophrlLr. 
(150 


152  THE  BIRTHVVORT  FAMILY. 

Its  leaves  are  ovate,  or  ovate-lanceolate,  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and  deeply 
and  narrowly  cordate,  or  even  hastate  at  the  base.  They  are  very  thin,  and 
roughly  pubescent  on  their  undersides.  At  the  ends  of  scaly,  basal  branches 
the  flowers  grow  singly  and  in  comparison  with  those  that  have  formerly 
been  cited,  are  extremely  small.  The  calyx  tube  curves  very  much  like  the 
letter  S. 


THE  BUCKWHEAT  FAMILY. 

Polygonaccce. 

A  large  fa7?iily  represented  in  most  portions  of  the  world  and  7vhich 
includes  trees  ^  shrubs,  vines  and  herbs,  with  siinple,  alter  fiat e,  opposite  or 
7vhorled  and  mostly  entire  leaves.  By  the  jointed  sterns  and  stipules,  7vhich 
at  the  bases  of  the  leaves  form  a  sheathing,  united  structure  called  the 
ochrece,  most  of  our  species  are  easily  identified.  The  fiowers  are  small, 
perfect,  regular  and  grow  in  variously  arranged  inflorescences.  Petals : 
no?ie.     Fruit :  an  ach.ne. 

ERIOQONUM.     (Plate  LI.) 

Eriogon urn  tomentbsuin . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF    BLOOM 

Buckwheat.  IVhite.  Scentless.  Florida  to  South  Carolina.        July-September. 

Flowers :  small  ;  numerous  ;  growing  in  spreading,  leafy  cymes  at  the  ends  of 
the  branches  and  subtended  by  a  campanulate,  toothed  and  pubescent  involucre. 
Calyx  :  six-parted,  the  unequal  segments  spreading  and  pubescent  on  the  outside. 
Stamens:  nine  ;  exserted,  their  filaments  thread-like.  Basal  leaves:  tufted;  ob- 
ovate-oblong ;  entire;  green  above,  brick  coloured  underneath,  both  sides  being 
covered  with  a  dense  velvety  and  reddish  tomentum.  Stent  leaves  :  oval  or  ovate  ; 
sessile  ;  mostly  vvhorled  in  fours  about  the  rounded  stems  which  appear  silvery 
from  their  grey  tomentum.     An  erect,  branching  herb,  two  to  four  feet  high. 

In  its  blowing  time  there  is  hardly  a  prettier  member  of  the  genus  than 
this  leafy  herb  from  which  the  tiny  white  blossoms  appear  to  burst  at  almost 
every  point.  It  grows  through  pine  barrens  where  often  a  few  of  its  linger- 
ing flowers  are  to  be  found  even  so  late  in  the  season  that  its  leaves  have 
turned  to  their  customary  shade  of  burnt  orange, 


s 


i>       ^^ 


PLATE   LI.     ERIOGONUM.     Friogontini  tonu'iilosiim. 
(153) 


54 


THE  BUCKWHEAT  FAMILY. 


FAMILY  COLOUR 

Buckwheat.         Greenish. 


BRUNNICHIA. 

Brun7i\chia   chirrhbsa. 

ODOUR  RANGE 

Scentless.         Florida  to  South  Carolina 
and  northwestward. 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 

April-June. 
Fruit:  A  ugust. 


Flowers  :  small  ;  clustered  in  long,  slender  racemes.  Calyx  :  campanulate  ; 
five-parted,  winged  at  the  base  ;  persistent.  Stamens  :  exserted.  Fruil :  oblong, 
enclosed  within  the  greatly  enlarged  calyx.  Leaves:  alternate,  with  slender 
petioles,  the  ochreas  obsolete  or  wanting  ;  ovate  or  ovate-lanceolate  ;  long  pointed 
at  the  apex  and  squared  or  sub-cordate  at  the  base  ;  entire  ;  bright  green  and 
glabrous  above,  slightly  pubescent  underneath.  A  much  branched  shrubby  vine, 
which  climbs  by  means' of  thread-like  tendrils  at  the  ends  of  the  branches.  Stem  : 
smooth  ;  grooved. 

Especially  in  fruit  is  this  climber  attractive, for  in  the  season  of  flowers  its 
bloom  is  too  insignificant  to  make  much  of  a  show.  Along  the  banks  of 
streams  it  grows  where  it  is  often  found  climbing  over  shrubs  close  at  hand. 


PENNSYLVANIA  PERSICARIA. 

Polygon um  Pe7tnsylvdnicinn. 


FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR 

Buckwheat.        Deep  pink.  Scentless. 


RANGE 

Texas  and  Florida  7iorth- 

ward  and  westward. 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 

July-September. 


Flmvers:  growing  in  erect,  panicled  and  bracted  spikes,  which  are  dense  and 
cylindrical;  their  peduncles  having  glands  on  their  surfaces.  Calyx:  five-parted. 
Stamens:  eight,  at  most.  Style:  deeply  two-cleft.  Ac/iejics  :  lenticular;  smooth. 
Leaves  :  alternate  ;  petioled  ;'  and  with  cylindric  ochreaes  which  are  without  bris- 
tles ;  lanceolate,  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  the 
petioles  ;  entire  ;  finely  ciliate  ;  the  upper  ones  rough  and  disagreeable  to  the 
touch.     Ste?ns  :  erect ;  simple  or  branched  ;  glandular  viscid  above. 

The  genus  Polygonum  is  one  that  is  very  large  and  we  see  it  abundantly 
represented  by  such  plants  as  the  present  one  and  the  common  smartweeds, 
or  knotweeds.  As  it  has  been  divided  into  several  sub-genera  a  few  of  the 
most  important  representatives,  serving  as  types  of  the  sections  and  which 
occur  within  our  range,  have  been  selected  to  be  mentioned.  There  are  of 
course  hosts  of  others.  By  the  people  they  are  not  much  regarded,  being 
scorned  as  common  things  unless  as  Polygonum  punctatum  they  have  some 
reputed  virtue.  Its  tiny  white  blossoms  which  emit  a  peculiar  scent  are  made 
into  poultices,  used  to  relieve  sprains  and  bruises.  Along  the  Tallyrand  road 
near  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  we  found  an  old  man  gathering  it  for  this  purpose. 

That  the  genus  is  commonly  called  buckwheats  is  said  to  have  originated 
from  the  fact  that  the  old  Saxon  word  for  beech  is  buck,  and  with  the  beech 
the  plants  were  associated  because  of  a  similarity  in  the  triangular  fruit  of 
certain  of  the  species, 


THE  BUCKWHEAT  FAMILV. 


55 


Of  the  sub-genus  Persicaria  the  last 
described  species  and  the  one  which 
follows  illustrate  its  peculiarities. 

P.  l\rsicaria,  lady's  thumb,  a  little 
plant  from  Europe,  has  now  become 
well  naturalised  in  this  country  and  in 
low  grounds  occurs  prolifically  as  a  weed.  Its  small  deep 
pink  or  purple  flowers  are  packed  closely  in  solitary,  or 
panicled  spikes,  while  the  alternate  and  linear-lanceolate 
leaves  are  nearly  sessile.  At  their  bases  are  cylindric 
ochrea:^  which  are  bristly.  Another  point  of  distinction 
is  the  broadly  ovoid, or  at  times  triangular, achenes. 

P.  avicuIart\Vv\oX.%X'A^^,  or  door-weed,  occurs  through 
both  cultivated  and  waste  ground  as  a  very  common  weed 
and  may  be  looked  upon  as  a  type  of  the  sub-genus, 
Aviculart\  which  bears  its  flowers  in  axillary  inflores- 
icences.  They  are  small  with  greenish  calyxes,  faintly 
u  tipped  with  pink.  There  are  numerous  small,  linear- 
oblong  or  oblanceolate  leaves  which  at  the  bases  of  their 
very  short  petioles  appear  to  be  somewhat  jointed  to 
.the  oblique  ochreae.  While  the  plant  has  prostrate,  or 
often  ascending,  branched  stems,  it  is  not  one  that  ever 
Lady's  Thumb.  assumes  a  twining  habit. 
P.  sagittatiun,  arrow-leaved  tear-thumb,  represents  as  does  the  next 
species  that  sub-genus  of  the  polygonums  Echinocaulon,  the  members  of 
which  climb  over  other  plants  by  means  of  the  small,  recurved  prickles 
which  arm  the  angles  of  their  slender  stems  and  petioles.  The  small,  deep 
pink  flowers  of  this  species  grow  thickly  in  rounded,  terminal  clusters 
and  the  achenes  they  later  produce  are  three-angled.  At  the  bases  of  their 
petioles  the  lanceolate-sagittate  leaves  have  entire  and  oblique  ochreas, 

P.  arifbliiiDi,  halberd-leaved  tear-thumb,  extends  hardly  further  southward 
than  South  Carolina.  Its  flowers  are  greenish  or  deep  pink  and  the  achenes 
are  lenticular.  Its  notably  large  and  hastate  leaves  have  at  the  bases  of 
their  long  petioles  ochreas  fringed  at  their  summits  and  bristly  about  their 
lower  parts. 

P.  duinentbriim,  copse  or  hedge  buckwheat,  serves  well  as  a  type  of  the 
section,  Tiniaria  which  includes  those  polygonums  with  a  twining  habit  of 
growth.  Often  the  branched  stem  of  this  species  is  very  long.  Its  leaves 
are  ovate,  deeply  heart-shaped,  or  approaching  hastate  at  the  base  while  the 
ochres  are  quite  smooth.  From  axillary  racemes  the  flowers  nod  and  are 
for  the  most  part  a  greenish   yellow.     As  well  as  in  the  south  the  plant 


156  THE  BUCKWHEAT  FAMILY.. 

occurs  on  some  of  the  middle  western  prairies.     It  is   probably  naturalized 
from  Europe. 

JOINTWEEDo 

Polygonclla  inacrophylla. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Buckivkeat.  Deep  crimson.  Scentless.  Florida.  September.,  October. 

Fhnvers :  showy,  small;  growing  profusely  in  raceme-like  panicles.  Calyx: 
with  five  petal-like  rounded  sepals.  Stamens:  eight,  included  or  slightly  exser- 
ted.  Leaves:  alternate;  sessile;  spatulate  or  ohlanceolate,  rounded  at  the  apex 
and  tapering  at  the  base  ;  entire;  parallel-veined  ;  smooth.  Stcui:  woody  at  the 
base;  jointed;  deep  red,  or  the  young  grovvth  greenish. 

So  gay  and  showy  is  this  plant's  spray  of  blood  tinted  blossoms  that  it 
appears  very  handsome  as  it  occurs  in  sandy  soil  along  the  coast  of  West 
Florida.  Made  into  a  bouquet  with  the  more  fleecy  and  pure  white  bloom 
of  Eriogonum  tomentosum,  an  effect  is  produced  surprisingly  beautiful  to 
those  who  know  not  the  possibilities  of  the  buckwheat  family. 

P.  Americana,  southern  jointweed  which  hardly  occurs  further  north- 
ward than  Georgia,  bears  a  fleecy  spray  of  tiny  white,  or  pink  blossonis, 
which  in  their  racemes  grow  so  closely  that  they  make  quite  a  fine  showing. 
The  calyx,  of  a  thing  so  small,  is  rather  complicated,  as  the  three  inner  seg- 
ments have  tiny  cordate  wings  while  the  two  outer  ones,  as  they  grow  old, 
become  reflexed.  The  pedicels  are  very  fine  and  the  stamens  mostly  in- 
cluded. About  the  growth  of  the  plant  there  is  a  wiryness  and  its  fine, 
linear-spatulate  stem  leaves  seldom  more  than  half  an  inch  long,  produce 
the  effect  of  a  pine-like,  graceful  foliage.  The  stems  are  inclined  to  scale 
and  are  covered  with  a  slight  bloom. 

P.  gracilis  is  found  in  old  fields  or  dry  pine  barrens  from  Florida  to 
South  Carolina.  In  appearance  it  is  light  and  fluffy  being  much  branched 
above  and  bearing  in  a  loose  panicled  raceme  a  number  of  small  white,  pink 
or  greenish  flowers.  Their  sepals  are  all  upright.  The  leaves  are  incon- 
spicuous and  linear  while  the  closely  jointed  stems  grow  erectly. 

P.  parvifblia  an  unusually  handsome  species  bears  also  in  a  fleecy  spray 
tiny  white,  deep  pink  or  even  yellowish  flowers,  the  outer  sepals  of  which 
are  recurved.  From  the  base  it  is  profusely  branched  and  the  foliage  is 
sessile  and  spatulate.  Through  September  it  remains  in  bloom  and  clings 
to  the  coast  line  in  sandy  soil.  Near  Palm  Beach  there  is  a  spot  where  it 
grows  abundantly. 


THE  PURSLANE  FAxMILY.  ir7 


THE  PURSLANE  FAMILY. 

Portulacacccc. 

In  our  range  including  tircc  genera  of  mostly  fleshy  herbs  with  entire, 
alternate  or  opposite  leaves,  an.l  bearing  perfect  and  regular  Jloivers 
the  calyx,  ivith  but  two  sepals. 

SPRING  BEAUTY. 

Chiytbnia  Virginica. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF    BLOOM 

l^itrsUine. 

White  luined  and 

Scentless. 

Texas  and  Georgia  north- 

March-May. 

tinted  luit/i  pink. 

ward  to  Nova  Scotia. 

Flcnvers :  a  few  growing  in  a  very  loose,  terminal  raceme.  Calyx  :  with  two 
ovate  and  persistent  sepals.  Corolla:  with  five  rounded  petals,  delicately  veined 
with  pink  and  slightly  united  at  their  bases.  Stamens:  five,  on  the  corolla.  Tis- 
til  one  ;  style,  three-lobed.  Stem  leaves:  opposite  ;  linear,  or  linear-lanceolate, 
bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex  and  narrowing  into  petioles,  being  considcrablv 
shorter  than  the  basal  leaves.  Stem :  erect  or  decumbent,  rarely  branched'; 
glabrous.     The  plant  arises  from  a  tuberous  root. 

About  the  spring  beauty  there  is  a  tenderness,  a  delicacy  of  e.vpression 
which  is  altogether  charming.  It  is  also  a  bold  little  thing.  \'ery  early  in 
the  spring  it  pushes  through  the  ground  and  almost  before  one  has  had  a 
chance  to  take  a  second  look  about,  it  spreads,  in  some  places,  a  sheet  of 
bloom  which  extends  almost  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see.  Naturally  it  is  a 
wild,  woodsy  creature  belonging  exclusively  to  moist  and  frequently  shaded 
places.  As  soon  as  it  is  picked  it  fades,  becoming  indeed  a  miserable  look- 
ing object. 

C.  Caroliniana,  Carolina  spring  beauty,  throws  out  a  flower  which  is  very 
similar  to  that  of  the  above  species.  Its  leaves,  however,  are  strongly  ovate, 
or  ovate-lanceolate  while  those  on  the  stem  taper  into  quite  long  petioles. 
The  plant  grows  more  nearly  erect  than  does  Claytonia  Virginica  and  often 
its  bloom  is  quite  abundant.  Through  the  Alleghanies,  at  high  elevations, 
it  is  a  forerunner  of  the  spring,  but,  somehow  its  grace  is  not  quite  as 
ethereal  as  that  of  its  relative. 


158  THE  PINK  FAMILY. 

THE  PINK  FAHILY. 

Caryophyllacecs. 

A  widely  distributed  group  of  amiual  or  perennial  herbs  with  opposite 
and  etitire  leaves  and  sterns  most  often  swollen  at  the  nodes.  The  flowers 
usually  are  regular  and  perfect^  and  bear  as  fruit  capsules. 

Besides  those  of  the  pink  family  that  are  herein  mentioned  in  detail, 
there  are  through  our  range  as  examples  of  the  order  two  well  naturalised 
plants  which  constantly  confront  the  flower  seeker.  One  is  the  homely 
bouncing  bet,  or  old  maid's  pink,  Saponaria  officinalis,  which  is  indigenous 
in  Europe.  Its  large  white  and  pink  blossoms,  occurring  most  often  in  a 
double  form,  are  seen  about  old  farm  houses  and  straggling  through  broken- 
down  fences.  That  its  juices  abound  in  saponin,  a  substance  similar  to  soap 
in  having  cleansing  properties,  seems  to  be  well  known  to  the  country  peo- 
ple ;  also  that  it  was  once  exclusively  a  garden  plant.  One  day  a  young  lad 
in  the  Alleghanies  handed  me  one  of  the  flowers  with  the  quaint  remark : 
"  that's  a  tame  flower." 

The  corn  cockle,  or  corn  rose,  Agrostemma  Githago,  is  another  European 
plant.  It  is  a  pretty  thing  especially  when  its  large  pinky  red,  or  purplish 
flowers  blow  through  and  lighten  the  fields  of  grain.  The  plant  seeds  itself 
very  freely  and  thus  secures  every  year  a  wider  distribution.  Indeed  it 
gives  trouble  enough  to  the  poor  farmer  as  the  intermingling  of  its  black 
seeds  with  grain  destroys  the  whiteness  of  his  flour.  In.  them  moreover  is 
contained  a  poisonous  element  so  strong  that  bread  into  which  they  have 
found  their  way  is  known  to  be  injurious. 

STARRY  CAMPION.      KING'S  CURE  ALL. 

Silene  stellata. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pink.  IVkite.  Scentless.  Arkansas  and  South  June-September. 

Carolina  northward. 

Flowers:  showy;  growing  on  long  bracted  pedicels  and  clustered  loosely  in 
spreading  panicles.  ^Calyx  :  campanulate  ;  swollen  ;  with  five  sharp-pointed  lobes. 
Corolla:  with  five  deeply  fringed  and  delicate  petals.  Staniftis  :  itiw  ;  exserted. 
Pistil;  one;  styles,  three.  Pods:  globose-ovoid.  Leaves:  sessile;  whorled  in 
fours,  or  opposite  in  pairs  at  the  lower  and  upper  part  of  the  stem  ;  lanceolate  or 
ovate-lanceolate;  ciliate ;  rather  rough.  Stem:  two  to  three  feet  high;  leafy; 
pubescent. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  other  tradition  which  so  indiscriminately  clings  to 
certain  plants  as  that  they  are  efficacious  in  curing  snake-bites.  Almost 
any  old  inhabitant  of  a  village,  or  mountainous  district  can  tell  some  tale  of 


THE  PINK   FAMILY.  159 

such  an  one  which  he  has  either  seen,  or  "  heard  on."  The  starry  campion 
even  with  its  fleecy  and  innocent-looking  blossom  has  a  strong  reputation 
for  assuaging  this  disorder.  Of  it,  Dr.  Gray  says,  in  relating  some  of  his 
experiences  at  the  foot  of  Grandfather  Mountain,  in  North  Carolina: 

"  We  had  frequently  been  told  of  an  antidote  to  the  bite  of  the  rattle- 
snake and  copper-head,  not  unfrequent  throughout  this  region,  which  is 
thought  to  possess  wonderful  efficacy,  called  Turman's  snake-root,  after  an 
Indian  doctor  who  first  employed  it  ;  the  plant  was  brought  to  us  by  a  man 
who  was  ready  to  attest  its  virtues  from  his  personal  knowledge,  and  proved 
to  be  the  Silene  stellata  !  Its  use  was  suggested  by  the  markings  of  the 
roots  beneath  the  bark,  in  which  these  people  find  a  fancied  resemblance  to 
the  skin  of  the  rattle-snake.  Nearly  all  the  reputed  antidotes  are  equally 
inert  ;  such  herbs  as  Impatiens  pallida,  etc.,  being  sometimes  employed  ;  so 
that  we  are  led  to  conclude  that  the  bite  of  these  reptiles  is  seldom  fatal,  or 
even  very  dangerous  in  these  cooler  portions  of  the  country." 

Silene  Baldwlnii. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Fink.  White  or  pale  rose.  Scentless.  Florida  and  Georgia.  April^May. 

FUnvers :  large;  growing  solitary  and  in  terminal  and  lateral  cymes.  Calyx: 
tubular;  inflated  with  five  long-pointed  teeth;  slightly  viscid.  Corolla:  with  five 
clawed  petals;  long;  obovate;  deeply  fringed  at  the  apex  and  ciliate  along  the 
sides.  Stamens:  ten;  their  filaments  but  little  longer  than  the  lobes  of  the  calyx. 
Leaves:  those  about  the  base  spatulate;  those  of  the  stem;  opposite;  oblong  or  ob- 
lanceolate;  rounded  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base;  sessile  ;  entire;  ciliate 
and  with  many  fine  white  hairs  on  both  surfaces.  Stem:  six  to  twelve  inches  high; 
silky  pubescent. 

The  peculiar  physiognomy  of  this  gay  flower  as  it  crops  up  through  low, 
shady  woods  would  always,  it  would  seem,  proclaim  it  to  hold  a  different 
position  in  the  kingdom  of  plants  than  its  brilliant  relative,  the  fire  pink. 
But  when,  on  one  occasion,  I  endeavoured  to  point  out  to  a  native  of  the 
mountains  that  they  were  not  the  same  pinks,  he  regarded  me  with  strong 
amazement.     Such  knowledge  was  a  foolishness  for  which  he  had  no  time. 

S.  Carolinidna,  wild  pink,  is  the  name  of  the  low  plant  which  grows 
usually  five  or  eight  inches  high,  and  bears  attractive,  vivid  pink  blossoms 
that  raise  themselves  coquettishly  above  their  thick  clump  of  spatulate  basal 
leaves.  On  the  stem  the  foliage  is  oblong,  or  lanceolate  and  sessile.  The 
long  calyx  is  often  inflated  and,  as  the  upper  parts  of  the  plant,  covered  with 
a  viscid  pubescence.  On  the  last  day  of  July  near  the  summit  of  one  of  the 
high  peaks  of  the  Alleghanies  I  found  a  solitary  blossom  gleaming  from  the 
crevice  of  a  rock. 

S.  Vzrgimca,  fire  pink,  or  Virginia  catchfly,  is  perhaps  the  most  brilliantly 
charming  member  of  the   family  as  it  is  seen  flourishing  freely  in  a  wild 


i6o 


THE  PINK  FAMILY 


state  ;  a  gleam  of   flaming  scarlet  often  proclaiming  its  presence  in  some 
dry,    midsummer  woods,   as    it  waves    conspicuously  its    two-cleft    petals. 

It  is  moreover  a  notable   catchfly,  the 

long    viscid  calyx    being    capable    of 

holding  within  its  grasp  many  a  small 

mite    that    has    had    the    temerity    to 

climb  the  stem  with  the  intention  of 

plundering    its     nectai*.       From    one 

to    two    feet    high     the    plant    grows 

and    has,    as  well    as    stem  leaves,  a 

tuft  of  slender,  spatulate  basal  ones.  Although 

its  range  extends  to  the   southern  part  of  New 

York  it  is  in  the  south  that  it  truly  is  a  feature 

of  the  flora. 

S.  7-ot2t}idifbIia,  round-leaved  catchfly,  is 
N,.^^  found  through  Georgia  and  Kentucky  from 
where  it  extends  into  southern  Ohio.  Like  the 
fire  pink  its  cleft  or  laciniate  petals  are  a  brilliant  scar- 
let, but  they  are  only  about  half  as  long  as  the  prom- 
inent calyx.  This  fact  and  that  the  orbicular-ovate 
leaves  have  rather  a  coarse  look  prevent  it  from  being 
as  beautiful  a  plant.  The  broadly  spatulate  basal 
leaves  taper  into  winged  petioles  and  the  plant  is 
covered  with  a  densely  viscid  pubescence. 


Silene  Virginica. 

PINE=BARREN  SANDWORT.     {Plate  LIL) 
Aroidria  Caroliniana. 

FAMILY         COLOUR         ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pink.  White.         Scentless.     Florida  to  Xe7v  Jersey  and  New  York.  April-July. 

Flowers:  small;  growing  in  cymes  at  the  end  of  the  branches.  Calyx  :  with  five,. 
ovate-oblong  sepals.  Petals:  five,  oblanceolate;  considerably  longer  than  the 
calyx.  Stamens:  ten.  Styles:  two  to  four.  Leaves:  opposite;  growing  on 
branches  tufted  about  the  base  and  on  the  flowering  stem;  imbricated;  needle- 
shaped;  sessile;  seldom  over  one  quarter  of  an  inch  long ;  grooved  on  the  inner 
surface;  recurved.  Flowering  stems,  ascending;  those  about  the  base,  woody  and 
tufted. 

Very  pretty  is  this  plant  as  it  grows  in  the  white  sand  of  the  coastal 
plain.  Its  little  leaflets,  which  one  might  almost  think  were  stipules,  are 
always  in  pairs,  and  were  it  not  for  the  tufted  growth  of  leaves  about  the 
plant's  base,  the  prim-looking  blossoms  would  appear  to  be  almost  without 
foliage. 


PLATE   Lll.     PINE-BARREN  SANDWORT.     Arciniria  Cjroliui.vu. 


i62  THE  WATER  LILY  FAMILY. 

THE  WATER  LILY  FAMILY. 

NympJicBaceae. 

Including  herbs  tJiaf  grow  in  water  with  floating  or  occasionally 
inunersed foliage  andiuJiich  bear  large,  solitary  and  axillary  flowers. 

YELLOW  NELUMBO.    YONQUAPIN.    WATER  CHINKAPIN. 

Nehujibo  liitca. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Water  lily.         Pale  yellow,  Ffagrant.  Florida  to  Ontario.  Jzily,  August. 

Floivers :  four  to  ten  inches  in  diameter  and  growing  on  long,  naked  scapes. 
6'if/rt/j-;  four  or  five.  Petals:  numerous;  concave;  rounded  at  their  apices.  Sta- 
mens:  numerous;  their  filaments  petal-like.  Pistils:  numerous  and  sunken  in  a 
large,  top-shaped  receptacle.  .S-i'^^'j- ;  obconic.  Leaves:  one  to  two  feet  broad; 
floating,  or  raised  with  long  petioles  high  above  the  water;  orbicular;  peltate  ; 
prominently  veined;  bright  green  and  glabrous  above,  somewhat  pubescent  under- 
neath. 

There  is  no  plant  life,  it  would  seem,  which  is  more  beautiful  or  wonder- 
ful in  its  ways  of  adapting  itself  to  its  surroundings  than  that  of  the  water  ; 
and  by  none  is  this  better  displayed  than  the  water  lilies  which  float  so 
peacefully  on  its  surface.  This  great  one  is  very  much  localised  through 
its  range  and  is  a  startling  feature  as  it  occurs  in  ponds  through  rice 
fields.  Its  general  formation  is  similar  to  that  of  the  well  known  white 
water  lily,  Castalia  odorata ;  its  sepals  therefore  gradate  into  petals  and 
the  numerous  concentric  rows  of  petals,  in  their  turn,  gradate  into  stamens 
— that  is,  if  they  do  not  accomplish  this  transformation  in  just  the  reverse 
order  as  is  thought  by  a  number  of  botanists.  The  tubers  of  this  species 
are  edible  as  are  also  its  farinaceous  seeds,  which  when  ripe  can  be  moved 
freely  about  with  the  finger  in  the  sunken  holes  of  the  receptacle.  To  the 
Indians  they  have  been  a  highly  prized  food. 

Neliunbo  Nehimbo,  Indian  lotus,  or  sacred  bean,  a  native  of  the  orient 
and  Australia,  is  now  locally  introduced  in  this  country  and  is  beginning  to 
be  considerably  seen  in  cultivation.  Its  great,  gorgeous  bloom  is  a  deep, 
rich  pink,  or  more  rarely  a  pure  white,  while  the  concave  leaves  holding  as 
dishes  the  rain,  form  for  it  a  bold  and  artistic  background.  By  the  Egyp- 
tians the  plant  was  dedicated  to  Osiris.  Buddha,  also,  is  said  to  have  first 
been  seen  when  resting  on  the  flower.  Brahma,  we  are  told,  came  forth  from 
the  blossom  and  so  it  is  enshrouded  with  much  sacred  and  legendary  lore. 

Castalia  odorata,  sweet-scented  white  water  lily,  or  water  nymph,  is  the 
one  of  the  genus  most  familiar  to  all  and  is  generally  distributed  over  the 
country.     One  of  its  peculiarities  is  that  its  fruit   ripens   under  the  water. 


THE  WATER  LILY  1AM I LV. 


■63 


Before  the  plant  tlowers,  sometimes,  its  tuberous  roots  are  collected  by  the 
people,  they  being  known  to  have  medicinal  properties. 

C.  re7iifdrmis  is  peculiar  in  having  large  reniform  leaves,  the  narrow 
sinus  of  which  extends  to  about  their  middle.  Its  extremely  pretty  and 
lustrous  white  flowers  are  very  much  like  those  of  the  water  nymph. 

Nyinphc^a  advena,  large  yellow  pond  lily,  or  spatter  dock,  is  common  in 
the  stagnant  waters  of  ponds  and  the  lower  courses  of  streams  where  from 
under  a  green  slime-like  growth  is  heard  in  the  springtime  a  mighty  croak- 
ing from  the  bull  frogs.  The  flower  has  from  six  to  eight  unequal  sepals 
and  coarse,  fleshy  petals  which  are  shorter  than  the  stamens.  Its  most  at- 
tractive feature,  however,  is  the  rich,  deep  crimson  at  the  base  of  these 
petals  and  under  the  stagnate  disc.  The  odour  it  emits  is  not  pleasant,  in 
fact,  in  England  the  plant  has  on  this  account  been  called, "  brandy  bottles." 

N.  sagittcpfblia,  arrow-leaved  pond  lily  which  occurs  along  the  Atlantic 
seaboard  from  Florida  to  North  Carolina,  has  attractive  arrow-shaped 
leaves,  the  submerged  ones  being  usually  much  larger  than  the  ones  that 
float.  When  dried  they  are  as  thin  and  crisp  as  tissue  paper.  The  small 
flowers  which  are  deep  yellow  resemble  very  much  those  of  the  spatter  dock. 


NeluDibo  Nelumbo. 


i64  THE  MAGNOLIA  FAMILY. 

THE  MAGNOLIA  FAMILY. 

Magnoliaccce. 

Trees  or  shrubs  with  simple^  alternate,  entire  or  lobed  leaves,  and 
large,  solitary  flowers ;  their  stamens  nunierous  and  their  pistils 
arranged  on  an  elongated  receptacle  in  the  shape  of  a  cone. 

ERASER'S     MAGNOLIA.      LONG    OR     EAR=LEAVED 
UriBRELLA  TREE. 

Magnolia  Frascrt. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Magnolia.         Straight.  10-^0  feet.  Florida  ajui  Mississippi  to  Ma}\Jiine. 

North  Carolina. 

Bark  of  branches :  reddish  or  grey  with  many  wart-like  dots,  bitter.  Leaf- 
duds :  glabrous.  Leaves:  growing  with  slender  petioles  at  the  end  of  the 
branches  ;  auriculate  ;  long  obovate  or  ovate-spatulate,  pointed  at  the  apex  and 
narrowed  at  the  base  where  are  formed  two  side  lobes  ;  entire  ;  bright  green 
above,  lighter  below  ;  thin;  glabrous.  /'"/t'Wf^rj- ;  cream- wiiite  ;  fragrant ;  three  to 
eight  inches  in  diameter.  Ca/j/x :  with  three  early-falling,  petal-like  sepals. 
Corolla:  with  six  or  nine  long,  obovate  petals,  blunt  or  bluntly  pointed  at  the 
apex.  Stamens  :  \\\x\\\&xow%\  anthers,  intorse,  linear.  Cone  of  fruit:  four  or  five 
inches  long  ;  oblong  ;  brilliant  red  at  maturity,  with  coral  coloured  and  fleshy  seeds. 

Among-  the  magnolias,  that  group  of  individuals  so  interwoven  with  the 
silva  and  poetry  of  the  south,  this  one  is  of  especial  interest.  Of  them  all,  it 
is  the  least  widely  distributed,  choosing  as  its  best  loved  home  certain  chains 
and  ridges  of  the  great  Appalachian  system,  such  as  the  Blue_Ridgeyflie 
Black  Mountains,  or  the  Big  Smokies.  William  Bartram,  the  first  botanist 
to  explore  the  higher  peaks  of  the  Alleghanies  there  discovered  it;  and 
indeed  through  the  deep  ravines  of  these  mountains,  growing  side  by  side 
with  the  common  hemlock  it  forms  a  contrast  so  striking  and  beautiful 
that  it  could  hardly  be  overlooked.  It  was  in  August  when  I  first  saw  it, 
and  through  its  bright  foliage  the  ripe  fruit  gleamed  brilHantly.  The  seeds 
had  burst  open  the  pods  and  were  hanging  by  filaments  as  misty  and  fine 
as  the  lines  of  a  spider's  web.  In  the  way  in  which  its  leaves  grow  at  the 
ends  of  the  branches  this  magnolia  resembles  the  umbrella  tree.  In  fact, 
the  mountain  people  call  it  indiscriminately  by  that  name,  as  well  as  wild 
cucumber  tree,  mountain  magnolia,  Indian  physic  or  even  Wahoo,  a  name 
which  is  usually  applied  to  Ulmus  alata. 

M.  acuniinata,  cucumber  tree  which  occurs  northward  as  far  as  the 
southern  part  of  New  York,  can  be  distinguished  from  the  preceding  species 
by  its  thin  oval  leaves  which  are  pointed  at  the  apex  and  mostly  rounded 
at  the  base  and  which  grow,  moreover,  scattered  along  the  branches.     Its 


THE  MAGNOLIA  FAMILY.  ,6 


green  cones  of  fruit  suggest  more  nearly  the  sliape  of  a  cycunilx-r  than  do 
those  of  any  other  of  the  genus.  They  as  weU  as  the  fruit  of  M.  1- rascri 
are  used  l:)y  the  mountain  people  in  an  infusion  with  w  hiskcy,  or  apple 
brandy  for  the  prevention  of  intermittent  fevers.  About  this  practice  the 
younger  Michaux  is  said  to  have  remarked  :  "  that  it  wouUl  doubtless  be 
much  less  frequent,  if,  with  the  same  medical  properties,  the  aipieoiis  infusion 
were  substituted." 

J/,  macrophylla,  great  leaved  magnolia  or  umbrella  tree,  is  truly  a 
remarkable  sight  when  its  fragrant,  white  tlovvers  with  their  purple  spotted 
centres  are  in  blow  among  its  mammoth  leaves.  Sometimes  these  latter 
measure  over  three  feet  long.  In  shape  they  are  long-obovate,  pointed  at 
the  apex  and  have  two  ear-like  lobes  at  the  base.  On  their  undersides  they 
are  pale  and  covered  with  a  bloom.  The  petals  even  measure  seven  or 
eight  inches  long  while  the  sepals  are  shorter  and  rounded.  In  fruit  the  tree 
has  still  a  lively  air  for  its  cones  are  a  deep  rose  colour.  The  tree  itself, 
however,  is  not  very  beautifully  formed.  It  grows  in  cool,  deep  places 
from  Louisiana  and  Florida  to  Kentucky  and  North  Carolina,  also  appear- 
ing in  Arkansas.  In  1789  it  was  discovered  near  Charlotte,  North 
Carolina,  by  the  elder  Michaux. 

J/,  tripctala,  umbrella-tree,  or  elk-wood,  bears  also  very  large  leaves 
which,  however,  are  ovate-lanceolate  in  outline,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  dis- 
tinctively wedge-shaped  at  the  base.  They  are  when  young  covered  on 
their  under  surfaces  with  a  thick  tomentum  w^hile  their  stout  petioles  are 
quite  pubescent.  At  the  ends  of  the  branches  these  leaves  grow  in  clusters 
in  a  way  very  suggestive  of  the  ribs  of  an  umbrella.  The  specitk  name, 
tri|3etala,  is  in  reference  to  the  three  sepals  which  are  very  similar  to  the 
petals. 

GREAT  FLOWERED  MAGNOLIA.    SOUTHERN  MAGNOLIA. 
BULL  BAY.      {Plate  fJ  1 1.) 

MagJiblia  ftcfidi  i . 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Magnolia.  Round-tof>/;uL  6o-8  3/,7V.         Floyida  and  Trxas  to  A/-ri/- /:,,!. ■ 

yorth  Carolina.  Aiti^ust  nort/iw.ir,/. 

Lo7i'cr  bark:  brownish  grey,  with  appressed  scales  about  one  inch  in  length. 
Branches:  lighter  in  colour,  thin,  smooth.  Leaves:  entire;  with  stout  petioles; 
ovate  or  oval,  five  to  eight  inches  long  and  two  to  three  inches  broad;  evergreen  ; 
thick  ;  bright  green  above  and  shiny.  The  winter  buds  and  petioles  coveretl  on 
the  under  side  with  a  rusty-looking  tomentum.  Flowers  ;  cream-white;  very  fra- 
grant ;  seven,  eight  or  twelve  inches  in  diameter;  solitary  and  terminal  at  the 
ends  of  the  branches.  Sepals:  petal-like.  Petals:  six,  nine  or  twelve;  oval;  con- 
cave.    Base    of   the  receptacle  and   lower  parts  of  the  filaments   bright    purple. 


PLATE  Llll.     GREAT  FLOWERED  MAGNOLIA.     Magnolia  f<xtida, 

(i66) 


THE  MAGNOLIA  FAMILY.  167 

Fruit:  large;  ovate;  rusty  brown  or  yellowish  green;  very  pubescent ;  with  many 
pods.  3'^iv/j- ;  glowing  carmine;  flattened  or  slightly  triangular;  when  released 
from  the  pods  they  hang  by  threads. 

It  seems  rather  a  pity  that  the  specific  name,  foetida,  should  ever  have 
been  associated  with  this,  the  most  beautiful  flowering  tree  of  our  country, 
and  especially  as  it  is  the  one  which  it  seems  wisest  to  adhere  to,  if  the  rule 
of  priority  is  sustained.  But  so  far  from  being  foetid  these  llowers  exhale  a 
scent  of  such  intense  sweetness  that  few  can  endure  it  for  more  than  a  short 
time.  Grandillora,  the  other  specific  name  by  which  the  tree  is  known,  is 
also  inappropriate,  for  there  are  species  that  bear  even  larger  (lowers.  A 
Perhaps  it  is  because  the  tree's  foliage  is  evergreen  that  in  the  far  south  it,Ay\ 
is  often  called,  "  the  big  Laurel."  ^^^ 

~^  M,  Virginidna,  laurel  magnolia  or  sweet  bay,  is  a  small  member  of  the  , 
genus  and  perhaps  the  one  most  generally  known  ;  for  while  mainly  found 
east  of  the  Alleghanies  to  Florida  and  Texas,  it  is  hardy,  indeed  indigen- 
ous, as  far  northward  as  eastern  Massachusetts.  As  long  ago  as  1384  the 
tree  was  brought  into  prominence  by  some  navigators  who  found  it  on 
Roanoke  Island,  N.  C,  and  who  referred  to  it  as:  "the  tree  that  beareth 
rind  of  the  Black  Synamon  of  which  like  Captain  Winter  brought  from  the 
Straits  of  Magellan."  One  of  its  most  exquisite  features  is  found  in  the 
young  leaves,  the  under  sides  of  which  are  glaucous  and  covered  with  fine 
hairs  which  produce  a  silky  sheen.  In  comparison  with  other  flowers  of 
the  genus  these  are  quite  small,  but  there  is  still  a  charm  about  them. 
They  are  so  waxy,  so  well  modelled  and  exhale  a  strong  fragrance  very  like 
that  of  Fraser's  magnolia.  In  early  days  the  people  of  Pennsylvania  ob- 
served that  beavers  ate  greedily  of  the  tree's  fleshy  roots,  a  knowledge 
which  they  utilised  when  baiting  their  traps  for  such  game,  and  to  which 
the  common  name  of  beaver  tree  is  in  allusion.  '   ^J^  (i  1 

TULIP  TREE.     WHITE=WOOD 

Liriodcndron  Tulipifo'a. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

magnolia.      Tall,  coluvinar  or  pyrn-         60-190     Vermont  and  Rhode  Island  May. 

midal;  dranc/tes  spreading,    feet.       to  Florida  and  ivestward. 

Bark:  reddish  brown  or  grey  ;  furrowed.  Branches:  curved  and  marked  with 
narrow  rings;  aromatic.  Leaves:  long  petioled  ;  very  broadly  ovate,  or  nearly  or- 
bicular ;  broadly  notched  at  the  apex,  rounded  or  cordate  at  the  base  and  liaving 
four  or  more  lobes,  the  sinuses  between  them  rounded.  Dark  green  and  shiny 
above,  i)aler  below.  Flowers:  two  inches  high  ;  tulip-shaped;  erect  and  growing 
on  stout  peduncles.  Petals:  o\)OVA\<t\  greenish  yellow;  orange  coloured  within; 
sweet  scented.  Sepals:  reflexed.  Stamens:  numerous  and  growing  in  lanks  on  the 
receptacle.  Pistils:  forming  in  a  column-like  body  upon  the  receptacle.  Fruit; 
;ibout  three  inches  long,  a  cone  of  dry,  oblong  and  acute  carpels. 


i68  THE  MAGNOLIA  FAMILY. 

Although  with  the  return  of  the  flowering  season  the  tuhp  tree  bursts 
radiantly  into  bloom,  it  does  so  in  rather  an  obscure  way  and  many  who 
pass  under  it  are  unconscious  that  it  is  fairly  laden  with  exquisitely  scented 
and  strangely  coloured  flowers.  This  is  because  they  are  greenish  on  their 
outsides  and  thus  as  one  looks  up  into  the  tree  they  blend  in  harmony  with 
and  seem  to  form  a  part  of  the  leaves.  Only  when  they  are  taken  in  the 
hand  is  the  full  beauty  of  the  orange  coloured  marking  within  the  cup  ap- 
preciated. And  these  blossoms  are  well  out  of  reach,  for  the  tree  is  one  of 
the  tallest  of  the  American  forest.  They  drop,  however,  a  good  deal  on  the 
ground.  With  its  lofty  grey  stem  and  crown  of  beautiful  leaves  the  tulip 
tree  is  one  of  the  most  notable  of  our  forests  and  attains  in  the  Mississippi 
bottoms  to  a  growth  of  exceeding  luxury.  In  cultivation  also  it  is  a  dis- 
tinguished individual. 

Of  the  young  trees  the  smooth  grey  bark,  which  is  very  bitter,  is  collected 
by  the  people  and  used  alone,  or  mixed  with  equal  parts  of  dogwood  bark, 
as  a  remedy  for  intermittent  fevers.  Those  through  the  south,  it  seems, 
who  know  the  tree  well  enough  to  thus  claim  its  aid  usually  refer  to  it  as 
the  "  yaller  poplar,"  a  name,  however,  which  is  rather  unfortunate.  The 
timber  of  the  tree  is,  of  course,  very  valuable. 

ANI5E=TREE. 

Illiciuin  Florida7ium. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Magnolia.         Deep  )naroon.  Like  anise.  Florida  to  Mississippi.  April. 

Flcnveis  :  large;  showy  ;  perfect ;  solitary  or  a  few  together  growing  at  the  ends 
of  leafy  shoots.  Calyx  :  with  usually  three  sepals.  Petals:  numerous  ;  linear. 
Stamens :  wwva^xowi.  Fruit:  rounded  with  jwinted  ovate,  spreading  valves. 
Leaves  :  long  oblong,  or  oblanceolate  ;  taper-pointed  at  the  a]iex  and  tapering  in- 
to the  margined  petiole  at  the  base;  entire;  glabrous;  tliick  ;  evergreen.  A 
shrub  six  to  ten  feet  high  ;   the  young  twigs,  greyish  and  somewhat  angled. 

The  anise-tree  is  interesting,  closely  related  as  it  is  to  the  magnolias,  and 
also  because  it  is  one  of  the  beautiful  features  of  southern  sandy  swamps. 
Its  showy,  dark  coloured  flowers  remind  us  a  little  of  the  strawberry  shrubs' 
blossoms,  although  they  have  not  the  same  delicious  scent,  and  to  many  the 
odour  of  anise  which  clings  to  the  tree  is  not  quite  agreeable. 

/.  par7nfloriijn,  which  occurs  along  the  coast  from  Florida  to  Georgia,  is 
known  at  once  from  the  related  species  as  its  flowers  have  fewer  and  rounded, 
yellow  petals. 


THE  CUSTARD  APl'LI-    lAMILV.  169 

THE  CUSTARD  APPLE  FAMILY. 

A  nouacccB. 
Includhig  7nostly  aromatic  shrubs  or  trees  with  sijnple,  alternate  a?ui 
entire   leaves  and  perfect,  axillary  flowers  lohich   have    their  petals  ar- 
ranged in  two  series.     Fruit  :    usually  fleshy. 

CUSTARD  APPLE,     {/'late  LIV.) 
A  s  i/n  in  a  spi  'cidsc  i . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Custard  apple.  Wllowish.  ScciitUss.  Eastern  Florida  and  Ma  > ,  ft ,  A /'r  ,7. 

(,'cori;/a.  l-rit  it :  J  u  lu- . 

Flowers  :  large  ;  showy  ;  nodding  ;  growing  in  a  raceme-like  wav  on  shoots  of 
the  preceding  year  and  appearing  before  the  leaves  are  much  grown.  St-f^ats  : 
three  ;  ovate  ;  densely  pubescent.  Petals  :  six,  in  two  rows,  oblong,  the  three 
outer  ones  the  larger  and  pubescent  on  the  outside.  Fnat  :  one  and  a  half  or 
nearly  two  inches  long  ;  yellowish  white  ;  obovale  or  oblong  and  containing  few 
seeds.  Leaves:  oblong  or  narrowly  obovate,  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex  and 
tapering  at  the  base  into  the  margined,  pubescent  petiole  ;  when  young  covered  on 
both  sides  with  a  dense  and  velvety  yellowish  pubescence,  at  maturitv  becoming 
glabrous  on  the  upper  side  ;  thick.  A  small  shrub  two  to  three  feet  high  ;  the 
young  twigs  covered  with  a  "^awny  pubescence. 

Through  our  range  this  genus  of  plants  is  well  represented,  and  mostly 
its  members  a^e  found  in  the  sandy  soil  of  pine  barrens,  or  in  dry  strips 
along  the  coast.  The  custard  apple  and  the  species  that  follow  would  per- 
haps be  the  ones  more  generally  encountered. 

A.  reticulata  principally  differs  from  the  foregoing  plant  in  that  its  leaves 
are  but  sparsely  pubescent  when  young,  soon  becoming  glabrous.  They 
are  from  an  inch  to  three  and  a  half  inches  in  length,  oblong  and  of  a  pale, 
apple-green  tone  of  colour.  Also,  they  are  thick,  leather-like,  and  much 
reticulated.  The  flowers  are  among  those  which  come  into  bloom  before 
or  just  as  the  leaves  develop. 

A.  pygju^a  displays  characteristics  at  variance  with  those  of  the  already 
mentioned  species.  Its  flowers, pale  yellow,  or  green,  turn  as  they  fade  to 
dark  purple.  They  also  appear  after  the  leaves.  These  latter  are  long 
and  narrow,  blunt  at  their  apices  and  tapering  towards  the  bases.  When 
mature  they  are  quite  smooth. 

A.  augusti/olia  belongs  to  the  same  group  as  Asimiaia  pyonia-a  although 
it  is  to  be  noticed  that  the  colour  of  its  yellowish  white  flowers  remains 
unchanged  in  age.  Its  linear,  lanceolate,  or  oblanceolate  leaves  are  on  both 
sides  smooth,  and  later  than  they  the  flowers  appear  singly  in  their  axils. 

A.  triloba.  North  American  papaw  or  custard  apple,  is  perhaps  the  most 


PLATE  LI V.     CUSTARD  APPLE.     Asimina  specios^. 
(170) 


THE  CUSTARD  APTLK  FAMILY.  171 

familiarly  known  individual  of  the  genus  and  has  a  range  which  extends 
from  Texas  and  Florida  to  the  western  part  of  New  York.  Sometimes  it 
occurs  as  a  small  tree  of  about  forty  feet  high,  but  it  more  often  remains  a 
large  shrub.  In  either  case  it  bears  an  abundance  of  large,  shiny  foliage 
which  is  obovate  and  noticeably  thin  in  texture.  The  dark  purple  and 
axillary  flowers  blossom  out  at  the  same  time  as  the  young  leaves  appear. 
By  its  fleshy  fruit,  usually  from  three  to  five  inches  long,  and  which  when 
ripe  in  October  is  a  dark  brown,  the  tree  may  always  be  identified.  It  is 
then  fragrant  and  sweet.  In  districts  where  the  tree  is  common  it  is  much 
eaten  as  well  as  sent  in  quantities  to  the  markets.  Before  it  has  attained 
maturity,  it  emits  as  do  other  parts  of  the  plant  a  disagreeable  odour. 

A.  pariiijlbra  is  a  low  bush  and  altogether  different  looking  from  the 
papaw.  Its  very  small  flowers  are  not  well  coloured,  being  a  greenish 
purple  and  they  grow  from  the  sides  of  the  branches  on  short,  woolly 
peduncles.  The  large,  oblong,  or  obovate  leaves  are  thin,  and,  as  the  young 
twigs,  covered  with  a  copper-tinted  pubescence  which  to  some  extent  they 
always  retain.  Often  the  fruits  grow  two  together  and  are  pear-shaped 
and  fleshy. 

THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY. 

Raiuinciildcccc. 

Herbs ^  shrubs  or  climbing  vines,  distinguisJied  by  their  acrid  sap  and 
simple^  or  compound,  altei'uaie  leaves,  opposite,  hoicever,  in  the  genus 
clematis  j  and  regular,  or  irregular  flowers,  with  their  parts  separate. 

HARSH  HARIGOLD. 

Cdltha  paliistris. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Crowfoot.         Bright  ycUow.         Scentless.         South  Carolina  to  New  A  p>il.  .\Liy. 

Fountlland  and  7uestzuard. 

Ftinvers  :  large  ;  showy  ;  clustered  at  the  ends  of  the  branched,  hollow  stems. 
Calyx:  with  from  five  to  nine  rounded,  petal-like  sepals.  Corolla:  none. 
Stamens:  numerous.  Pistils:  five  to  fourteen.  Leaves:  those  of  the  base 
with  long  petioles,  reniform,  or  cordate,  entire  or  crenate  ;  the  upper  ones  short 
petioled  or  sessile  and  sometimes  nearly  squared  at  their  bases  ;  bright  green  ; 
glabrous.     Stems  :  one  to  two  feet  high  ;    erect  or  ascending  ;   succulent. 

In  very  early  spring  the  marsh  marigold  spreads  its  golden  yellow  petals 
by  the  water's  edge  and  has  ever  a  sturdy,  merry  air.  There  is  about  it  none 
of  the  singular  fragility  which  characterises  so  many  of  the  season's  fore- 


172  THE  CROWFOOT  FAMlLV. 

runners.  Perhaps  it  has  something  the  same  look  as  a  very  prosperous 
buttercup.  That  it  is  a  plant  of  the  people  might  be  presumed  from  the 
number  of  its  old  English  names.  "  May-blob,"  it  is  called,  "  water  blob," 
sometmies  even  "  horse  blob  "  and  again  it  is  extensively  known  as  the 
cowslip  which  is  boiled  and  used  as  a  vegetable. 

YELLOW    PUCCOON.  ORANGE  ROOT.  GOLDEN  SEAL. 
YELLOW   INDIAN  PAINT. 

Hydrastis  Ca)iadt'nsis. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Lio-Mjaot. 

Gt 

ecius/i  wliitc. 

Scoitlcss. 

Missouri  and  Georgia  to 
A't'-w  York. 

A/^rii. 

Fhnvcrs  :  small;  regular;  solitary.  Calyx:  with  lluce  petal-like  and  early 
falling  sei)als.  Pclals  :  none.  Stamens  :  nunicrous.  l^'ntit :  a  head  of  crimson 
berries  wiiich  resembles  a  raspberry.  Liun'ts  :  those  from  the  base  with  long 
petioles;  reniform  and  palmately-divided  into  friim  five  to  nine  lobes,  acute  at 
their  apices  and  sharply  serrate.  Sttvi  /eaves  :  two  growing  near  its  summit  ;  the 
upper  one  subtending  the  flower,  and  they  being  covered  on  the  upper  side  when 
young  with  white  hairs.  Stem  :  about  one  foot  high  ;  erect  ;  pubescent  towards 
the  summit.     Kootstock  :  yellow. 

So  abundant  is  the  foliage  of  the  yellow  puccoon  and  such  a  fine  show- 
ing does  it  make  that  it  puts  rather  to  shame  the  more  insignificant  bloom. 
Through  the  oak  barrens  of  middle  Tennessee  the  plant  crops  up  contin- 
ually. There  the  people  in  the  autumn  go  forth  to  gather  its  rootlets  and 
the  rhizomes,  which  are  known  to  them  as  having  drastic  properties. 

SHRUB  YELLOW=ROOT. 

XanthorrJiiza  apiifolia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Cro^i'foot.      Reddisli  purple.      Scentless.       Florida  to  Ne^v  York.     April,  May.     J'ruit.-June. 

FloToers  :  tiny;  solitarv.  or  two  or  three  together  growing  in  drooping 
axillarv  racemes  on  slenderliranches  Calyx  :  with  five,  ovate  deciduous  se])als. 
Corolla:  with  five  small  two-lobed  petals.  Staviens  :  five  to  ten.  Follicles: 
vellowish  green;  one-sided;  curved  and  conlainmg  at  maturity  one  seed. 
'Leaves:  with  slender  petioles,  clustered  at  the  summit  of  the  stem  ;  pinnate  or  bi- 
pinnate;  the  five  leaflets,  sessile,  ovate,  divided,  cleft  and  toothed  ;  thm  ;  glabrous. 
A  shrub:  one  to  two  feet  high  with  greyish  bark,  the  stem  wnhin  being  a  bright 
beautiful  yellow.     Roots:    yellow;   astringent. 

Of  small  shrubs  there  is  hardly  one  more  impressive  throughout  the 
year  than  this  one,  although  for  beauty,  it  relies  not  at  all  on  its  wine-tinted 
bloom.  In  its  foliage  rather  lies  its  charm.  This  has  a  fern-like,  graceful 
look  very  suggestive  of  such  cool  woods  and  shaded  banks  as  those  where 
it  chooses  to  grow  through  the  high  Alleghany  and  Cumberland  mountains. 
In  the  spring  it  is  effective,  and  even  quite  as  handsome  in  the  autumn  when 


As,  sultry  and  heavy,  the  atmosphere  enshrouded  Lake  Sap- 
phire, a  stillness  also  prevailed.  Only  the  oecasional  buzzing  of 
insects  or  the  sharp  whizz  of  a  darning  needle  da^'ting  spasmodi- 
cally about  disturbed  the  scene's  placidity.  None  less  calm  was 
the  sheet  of  water  lying  at  the  mountain's  base.  Through  the 
green  grasses  occasionally  lighter  colours  shone  streaked  with 
red  or  yellow.  Dejise  and  high  the  wild  flowers  grew  about 
the  banks.  Vines  interiningled  with  them,  and  trees  sprang  from 
eveti  the  mountain  s  rocky  side. 

(LV.) 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

row/oot. 

White. 

Sctnilcss. 

Georgia  to 
Fenfts.vlvani 

THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY.  173 

it  turns  to  a  warm,  rich  golden  colour.  Through  ihc  winter  also  its  buds  arc 
highly  tinted  and  have  a  silky  sheen.  In  cultivation  the  yellow-root  is  hardy 
and  is  largely  used  as  a  ground  cover,  or  under  shrub  in  front  of  others 
that  are  larger.  For  such  planting  it  is  sent  out  from  the  I'jiltmore  nurser\ 
by  the  tens  of  thousands.  In  September  the  people  collect  the  rhizomes 
which  they  use  something  as  alum  and  especially  to  cure  sore  mouths  o( 
children.  The  Indians  from  the  plant's  intensely  bitter  roots  made  one  of 
their  most  valued  dyes. 

AMERICAN  BUGBANE. 

Ciinicifuga  A))icricau(i . 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 
July,  August. 
Fruit:  Octol'er. 

/7t77ivrj-.- growing  in  lateral  and  terminal  wand-like  racemes;  one  to  two  feet 
in  length  and  usually  comi)ound;  finely  pubescent.  Sepals:  petal-like,  early  fall- 
ing. Petals:  small,  two-lobed.  Stamens:  numerous.  Pistils:  three  to  eight, 
with  minute  stigmas.  Follieles  :  stalked,  two  or  three  together,  curved,  inflated, 
tijiped  with  a  beak.  Seeds:  downy.  Leaves:  alternate,  with  long  petioles,  pin- 
nately-divided,  the  divisions  often  again  divided  ;  leaflets,  rather  irregular,  oblong 
to  ovate,  dentate  and  cleft,  the  terminal  one,  three-lobed  ;  deep  green;  thin;  gla- 
brous.    Stem  :  three  to  five  feet  high  ;  leafy. 

Waving  their  wands  of  fleecy  white  flowers  high  over  the  heads  of  mints 
and  lilies  and  Indian  pipes,  the  bugbanes  fairly  take  possession  of  the 
late  summer  woods.  Even  those  who  care  little  for  wild  flowers  must,  it 
would  seem,  stop  and  inquire  something  of  their  history.  As  a  genus  they 
are  all  much  alike,  it  being  usually  the  botanists  who  stop  and  discriminate 
between  the  species.  They  are  known  moreover  as  having  medicinal  prop- 
erties while  in  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina  I  found  the  belief  to  be  al- 
most universal  that  a  tea  made  from  them  and  strong  enough  to  produce 
violent  sweating  would  cure  inflammatory  troubles.  It  is  mostly  the  follow- 
ing species,  the  black  snakeroot,  however,  which  is  employed,  and  in  such 
immoderate  quantities  do  the  people  drink  it  that  according  to  the  saying  of 
native  doctors,  they  produce  instead  of  curing,  rheumatism  and  similar  ills, 

C.  racenibsa,  black  snakeroot,  or  black  cohosh,  u'ith  its  more  extended 
range  than  the  preceding  species,  is  well  known  through  wooded  places 
from  Missouri  and  Georgia  to  Maine.  Its  ovate,  or  obovate  leaflets  are 
pointed  at  their  apices  while  towards  their  bases  they  are  narrowed  or  sub- 
cordate.  They  are  much  cut  about  their  margins.  The  fluffy,  attractive 
bloom  of  this  species,  surprises  one  when  approached  with  a  fetid,  disagree- 
able odour.  Its  carpels  are  borne  solitary,  or  in  pairs  and  are  not  stalked. 
Besides  having  the  medicinal  properties  already  mentioned  the  plant  is 
credited  with  the  power  of  repelling  plant  vermin.  The  Indians,  moreover, 
looked  upon  it  as  one  of  their  rattlesnake  masters. 


174  THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY. 

C.  cordifblia,  heart-leaved  snakeroot  which  occurs  from  Tennessee  to 
southwestern  Virginia,  is  a  form  very  similar  to  the  black  snakeroot.  It 
has,  however,  considerably  broader  and  more  deeply  cordate  leaflets. 

WILD  COLUriBINE. 

Aquilegia    Canadensis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Crowfoot.         Red  and  yellozu         Scentless.       Froin  the  Gulf  Region  north-         April-fuly. 
or  ivhite.  ward  and  ^vestward. 

Flowers:  one  to  two  inches  long;  terminal;  solitary  and  nodding  from  thread- 
like pedicels.  Calyx:  with  five  petal-like  deciduous  sepals.  Corolla  :  with  five 
tubular  petals  projected  backward  between  the  sepals  into  long,  nearly  straight 
spurs.  Stamens:  numerous;  exserted,  the  innermost  reduced  to  staminodia. 
Pistils:  five  with  slender,  exserted  styles.  Leaves:  the  lower  and  basal  ones, 
petioled,  and  twice  or  thrice-divided  into  lobed  and  toothed  leaflets;  (the  upper 
ones  lobed  or  divided  and  nearly  sessile)  obovate  ;  lobed  and  toothed,  or  entire; 
paler  below  than  above.  Stem  ;  one  to  two  feet  high;  branched;  leafy;  glabrous 
or  slightly  pubescent. 

*'  And  from  the  rock-cleft  rude 
Up  sprhigs,  with  nodding  bells,  the  columbine, — 
And  round  her  ever,  in  the  solitude, 
The  wild  bee's  winglets  shine." 

On  many  high  places  in  the  southern  mountains,  where  the  cliffs  looked 
ablaze  in  the  sunshine,  we  saw  that  the  columbine  was  in  bloom.  There 
nodding  from  amid  innumerable  sprays  of  fine  foliage,  the  blossoms,  en 
masse,  produced  a  startling  effect.  When  looking  closely  at  an  individual 
it  was  not  difficult  to  trace  the  much  talked-of  resemblances  of  its  various 
parts  to  an  eagle  and  a  dove  ;  it  thus  typifying  power  and  peace.  The  long 
spur  of  this  species  especially  is  regarded  as  representing  the  horn  of  plenty  ; 
a  single  nectary,  a  liberty  cap,  while  a  five  rayed  star  is  suggested  by  the 
flower's  full  face.  The  range  of  the  wild  columbine  also  is  very  extended, 
so  there  has  been  good  cause  that  the  plant  should  long  have  been  in  the 
group  talked  of  for  the  national  flower.  In  ancient  folk-lore  the  columbine 
was  looked  upon  as  the  favourite  flower  of  the  lion. 

A.  coccinca,  which  resembles  the  wild  columbine,  has  been  found  in  Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee  and  Virginia.  It  is  distinguished  by  its  larger  flowers  and 
shorter,  more  abruptly  contracted  spurs. 

A.  austrdlis,  grows  on  limestone  rocks  near  Marianna,  Florida,  and  is 
a  slender  columbine  with  pale,  green  leaves  and  narrow,  elongated  sepals. 
In  other  respects  it  much  resembles  Aquilegia  Canadensis. 

DWARF  LARKSPUR.     STAGGER=WEED. 

Delphinium  tricorne. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Crowfoot.        Blue  or  white.         Scentless.  Georgia  to  Pennsylvania        April.,  May. 

a7id  westward. 

Flowers :  irregular;  large  ;  loosely  clustered  in  a  terminal  raceme,     SefaU:  five, 


THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY. 


175 


irregular,  the  posteriour  one  being  prolonged  into  a  long,  slightly  upcurved  spur. 
Petals:  four;  the  back  ones  projecting  a  spur  enclosed  in  that  of  the  sepals; 
lateral  ones,  small,  rounded  and  raised  on  claws.  Stamois:  numerous.  Pistils: 
three,  forming  in  fruit  as  many  widely-spreading  follicles  tipped  with  a  beak. 
Leaves:  with  long,  slightly  pubescent  i)etioles;  palmately-divided  into  from  three 
to  seven  linear,  or  obovate  divisions  which  are  again  cut  and  tO(jthcd  ;  bright 
green;  rather  thin.  Stem:  one  to  three  feet  high;  erect;  leafy;  mostly  pubescent. 
Roots:    tuberous. 

A  plant  of  unusual  and  dignified  aspect  is  the  dwarf  larkspur  as  it  is  seen 
growing  through  open,  rocky  woods,  or  cropping  up  along  well  shaded  road- 
sides.    That  it  is  generally  called  stagger-weed 
is  because  it  is    poisonous    to   stock    which   in 
April  eat   of  its   young  shoots.      In   wreaking 
this  harm  upon  them,  they,  it  would    naturally 
be   supposed,  stagger  about  as    though  uncon- 
scious  of   their  actions.     The   genus  with    its 
beautiful  members  is  most  notably  represented 
through  our  range  by  the  following  individuals. 
D.  Carolinianum,  Carolina  larkspur,  becomes 
quite    tall  and    is  a   slimmer    plant    than    the 
stagger-weed, — that  is  when  they  are 
both    well    grown.     The    bright    blue 
and  white  flowers  which  it  bears  are 
also  rather  small.     Its  linear  leaf-seg- 
ments are   numerous    and    the  stems 
pubescent.     In  open  fields,  or  prairies 
the  plant   occurs    and   extends   from 
the  far  south  northward  to  Manitoba. 
D.  tirceoldtum,  tall  larkspur,  grows 
at  times  taller  than  most  men,  and  with 
its  large   leaves   cleft  into  lanceolate 
segments  and  its  very  long,  dense  ra- 
cemes of  bIue,or  purplish  flowers  pres- 
ents a  most  striking  appearance.     On 
Dciphitiium  tricorne.  the  blossoms,  which  are  smaller  than 

those  of  the  stagger-weed,  there  is  a  downy  pubescence,  and  a   mark   of 
distinction  is  their  straight  spurs. 

Two  other  species  of  larkspurs  that  are  met  with  through  our  range  are 
Delphinium  Consolida,  the  knight's  spur,  lark's-heel,  or  claw,  which  grows 
in  waste  places  mostly  and  has  been  naturalised  from  Europe;  and  Del- 
phinium AJacis,  a  fugitive  from  gardens.  The  former  of  these  two  is  in  its 
manner  of  growth,  spreading  or  divaricately  branched  and  bears  white  or 
intensely  blue  flowers.     The  latter,  commonly  called  Ajax's  larkspur,  has  on 


176 


THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

Croivjoot. 

Gy-eenisii  yt'lloii\ 
or  %vhite. 

Scentless. 

Geor^i 

I  to  I  •/;- 

iLs  united  petals  two  marks  said  to  be  in  imitation  of  ilie  letters,  A.  and  I. 
The  legend  in  connection  with  this  circumstance  is  that  the  plant  sprang  up 
where  the  blood  of  Ajax  or  Aiax  touched  the  ground,  he  having  in  chagrin 
slain    himself  after    the  Greeks  had    awarded    the  armour   of   Achilles    to 

Ulysses. 

TRAILING   WOLFSBANE. 

^■iLonituiii  rccliiidimn. 

TIME   OF  BLOOM 

July,  A  ugust. 

Flikvcrs :  irregular;  growing  on  puhescent  peduncles  in  loose  axillary  and  termi- 
nal racemes,  or  panicles.  Sepals :  five,  the  upper  one  forming  a  conic-shaped  hel- 
met; the  uvo  lateral  ones  rounded  and  [artiy  concealed  within  the  upper  one  ;  the 
lower  ones,  oblong.  Petals  :  projected  backward  in  the  helmet  as  a  sort  of  spur. 
Stamens:  numerous.  Leaves:  alternate;  with  long  petioles;  reniform  ;  cordate 
at  the  base  and  palmately  divided  into  three  to  seven  ]K)inted  lobes  which  are 
again  cleft  and  toothed;  thick:  tlaik  green  above,  lighter  below  and  covered  with 
fine  hairs.     Stttii  :  two  to  eight  feet  long;  trailing;  leafy. 

Among  the  flowers  that  run  riot  over  the  Alleghanies,  this  one  is  seen 
bv  the  borders  of  streams  twining  its  tender  stems  in  and  out  and  spread- 
ing its  curious  flowers.  They  are  not  nearly  so  pretty  as  those  of  the  wild 
monkshood  nor  do  they  seem  to  be  so  well  known.  And  although  the  plant 
is  possessed  of  medicinal  properties,  it  is  not  much  utilised  in  that  way. 
Its  roots  are  poisonous  but  their  reputation  is  altogether  much  less  alarming 
than  that  of  the  European  species. 

A.  iincinatioii,  wild  monkshood  or  friar's  cap,  bears  the  beautiful  pur- 
plish blue  flowers  which  grow  on  slender,  curved  pedicels  and  whose  quaint 
shape  has  given  rise  to  so  many  fancies  and  legends.  Their  slightly  beaked 
and  conic  helmet  is  indeed  a  remarkable  structure,  while  the  side  petals 
look  very  much  like  chin  tabs. 


Aconitii'ii  micinnittin. 


THE  CROWFOOT  FAiMlLY.  177 

CAROLINA  ANEnONE.     {Plate  L  VI.) 
Anemone  Caroliniana. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Crowfoot. 

White,  blue 

Scentless. 

Texas  a  ml  iirorj^ia 

MarJt,  Ap,  ,1. 

and  purple. 

northivard  and  easiwa 

■d. 

1 


Flmoers :  solitary;  growing  at  the  ends  t)f  long,  pubescent  peduncles.  Involu- 
cre: composed  of  sessile  leaves,  three  to  five  clelt  and  quite  lenicjlc  from  the 
flower.  Sepals:  sixteen  to  twenty,  oblong-linear  and  petal-like,  the  outer  ones 
mottled  with  blue  and  i)urple.  Petals:  none.  Stamens:  numerous.  Ae/teiies: 
very  woolly.  Basal  leaves  :  with  slender  petioles  and  thrice  divided  inio  linear, 
or  oblanceolate  divisions  which  are  again  toothed  and  cleft.  Stem  :  three  to 
ten  inches  high,  arising  from  a  globose  tuber. 

More    beautiful  even  than  the  wind  flower  is  this    e.Nqtiisite    anemone  ot 
the  south  which  haunts  the    cool  woods,  or   springs  up  by  the  side  of  some 
weather-beaten  rock.     The  delicate  mottling  of  its  colours,  together  with  its 
sprightly  form  and  fine    foliage,  mark  it    indeed    as  one  of  the  gems  of  the 
flowery  kingdom.     According  to   the  soil    and  climate  in  which   it  grows,  it 
has  been  noticed  to  vary  greatly  in  height. 
^         A.    qiditquefblia,  wind-flower,    or  wood    anemone,  is  the    elfin-like,  little 
^     thing  which  very  early  in  the  spring  hovers  about  the  trunks  of  old  trees  and 
■3-'     is  usually  found  within  nodding    distance  of    the    spring   beauty   and  the 
yellow  adder's  tongue.     Most   delicately   its  petal-like  sepals  are  tinted  with 
pink,  or  blue  and  so  transcient  is  the  bloom  that   the  slightest  gust  of  wind 
bears  them  away.     Besides  the  basal  leaves  which   arise  from  a  thick,  hori- 
zontal rootstock  there  are  three  others  whorled    on  the  stem  just  below  the 
:^flo\ver.     They  are  five  parted,  with    segments    much    cut    and    lobed.     In 
England  there   still    lurks    the   belief,    transmitted,   no  doubt,  from  an  old 
Roman  idea,  that  to  gather  the  first    anemones  of  the  year  will  serve  as  a 
preventative    of   disease.     In    fact,  in    European   lore    the  anemone,  which, 
however,  is  another  species  than  this  one,  plays  quite  an  important  part. 

"  All  wan  and  shivering  in  the  leafless  glade 
The  sad  anemone  reclined  her  head; 
Grief  on  her  cheek  had  paled  the  roseate  hue 
And  her  sweet  eye-lids  drooped  with  pearly  dew." 

These  lines  probably  were  written  in  commemoration  of  \'enus'  grief  over 
the  slain  Adonis. 

A.  trifblia,  mountain  anemone,  is  very  like  the  wind  flower.  The  leaves 
of  its  involucre,  however,  are  divided  into  three  segments  instead  of  five. 
It  is  moreover  a  taller,  stouter  plant  with  an  air  much  less  fragile.  From 
North  Carolina  to  southern  Pennsylvania  it  occurs,  usually  in  the  mountains 
where  its  companion  often  is  the  sweet  lily-of-the-valley. 


PLATE  LVI.     CAROLINA  ANEMONE.     Anemone  Caroliniana. 
(1/8) 


THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY.  179 

A.  Virginiana,  thinible-weed,  or  tall  anemone,  grows  from  two  or  three 
feet  high  and  upholds  on  a  long,  stiff  Hower  stalk  a  delicate,  greenish  white 
flower.  Often  the  plant  is  branched  at  the  place  of  the  remote  involucre,  or 
stem  leaves.  Its  curious  fruit,  a  head  of  achenes,  is  in  outline  strongly 
suggestive  of  a  lady's  thimble.  Through  wooded  paths  and  by  mountain 
streams  it  looms  up  straight  and  high,  and  in  the  Alleghanies  thrives  at  an 
elevation  of  considerable  height. 

HEART  UVER=LEAF.     SHARP=LOBED    LIVER=LEAF. 

Hepdtica  acuta. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Crozv/oot.      WJtite  or  purplish.     Faintly  fragrant.     Georgia  nor  tliivani,        Dccevtber-M  ay. 

Floivers :  solitary  and  terminating  fuzzy  scapes  from  four  to  nine  inches  high. 
Involucre:  with  three  oval,  hairy,  sepal-like  leaves  wiiich  at  their  apices  are 
pointed.  Calyx:  of  six  or  more  oblong,  thin,  petal-like  se|)als.  Petals:  none. 
Sta77ieiis  and  pistils  :  numerous.  Leaves:  from  the  base  with  long  villous  petioles  ; 
reniform,  w'ith  three  acute  lobes;  entire;  often  ciliate  on  the  edges  and  slightly 
touched  with  purple. 

Early,  very  early  in  the  springtime  when  there  is  a  note  of  barrenness  in  the 
woods,  these  pretty  little  wildlings  send  up  profusely  their  fragrant  bloom. 
They  are  next  of  kin  to  the  wood  anemone  and  like  it  have  a  quaint  although 
hardly  a  fragile,  personality.  This  species  traverses  the  wooded  slopes  of 
the  Alleghanies  and  is  very  similar  to  Hepatica  Hepatica,  but  it  is  not  quite 
as  beautiful.  It  can  be  distinguished  by  its  pointed  leaf-lobes.  Among 
dead  leaves  and  undergrowth  of  the  preceding  year  it  forms  dense  patches 
with  its  own  rusty-looking  leaves  which  have  remained  over  the  winter  to 
act,  perhaps,  as  a  protection  to  the  young,  adventurous  buds.  Not  until 
later  are  the  new  leaves  sent  forth.  Although  necessarily  the  hepaticas 
must  lose  some  of  their  charm  when  taken  away  from  their  woodland  set- 
ting, they  are  still  excellent  in  cultivation,  growing  readily  and  showing  at 
all  seasons  an  attractive  foliage. 

H.  Hepdtica,  liver-leaf,  or  noble  liverwort  is  our  best  known  species  and 
the  one  which  Mr.  Hamilton  Gibson  regarded  as  our  earliest  spring  bloomer. 
Its  fragrant  flowers  are  blue,  pink,  white  or  purple  and  the  lobes  of  its  leaves 
are  rounded.  Sometimes  even  under  the  snow  its  buds,  well  wrapped  up  in 
a  dense  fuzz,  await  the  first  gleam  of  sunshine  to  coax  them  into  throwing 
open  their  petals.  In  the  Tennessee  mountains  where  the  plant  is  abundant, 
its  leaves  are  collected  after  the  bloom  has  faded,  they  being  of  medicinal 
value. 

RUE= ANEMONE. 
SyndcsDioii  tJialictro]dcs. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Crowfoot.  White  or  pink.  Scentless.  Gulf  region  north^oard.  .\Iarcli-func. 

Flowers  ;  perfect  ;  growing  on  slender  pedicels  in  terminal  umbels  and  having 


i8o  THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY. 

at  their  bases  an  involucre  which  is  composed  of  a  number  of  foliaceous  leaflets 
with  long  petiolules.  Sepals  :  five  to  ten;  petal-like  ;  oblong,  mostly  rounded  at 
their  apices.  Petals  :  none.  Stamens  :  numerous,  short.  Leaves  :  with  long 
petioles,  from  the  base  and  on  the  stem;  ternately  compound,  the  leaflets  rounded 
or  ovate  and  bluntly  toothed  towards  the  apex;  smooth;  thin.  Stem:  erect- 
four  to  ten  inches  high  ;  smooth  ;  highly  coloured  at  maturity.  Roots:  a  cluster 
of  small  tubers. 

Almost  as  perishable  and  very  like  those  of  the  wind  flower  are  this  plant's 
blossoms,  while  its  leaves  resemble  the  foliage  of  the  meadow  rue.  For 
these  reasons  is  the  Greek  name,  meaning  bound  together,  significant.  The 
genus  is  a  monotypic  one  of  eastern  North  America.  Very  early  in  the 
season,  often  about  old  trees  and  close  to  the  wind  flower,  the  stem  shoots 
upward.     Not  until  later  do  the  basal  leaves  appear. 

LEATHER=FLOWER.     {Plate  LVII.) 

Clematis    Viorna. 

FAMILY         COLOUR         ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Crowfoot.       Red  disk       Scentless.        Tennessee^  Georgia  and  West  Virginia         May-J  uly. 
purple.  to  Pennsylvania  and  ivestward. 

Floivers :  solitary;  nodding.  Calyx:  campanulate  with  five,  large,  ovate  sepals, 
thick  and  woolly  inside  and  tapering  into  a  recurved  point ;  leathery.  Corolla  :  none. 
Ac/ienes  :  broadly  ovoid  ;  flat,  with  long  feathery,  pale  yellow  tails.  Leaves:  op- 
posite ;  mostly  pinnate.  Leaflets  :  entire,  lobed  or  trifoliate  pointed  at  their  apices, 
glabrous.  A  vine  climbing  often  ten  or  twelve  feet  high  by  means  of  the  tendril 
bearing  leaves. 

Running  vigorously  up  and  down  rail  fences,  meandering  by  the  borders 
of  streams,  intermingling  itself  with  shrubbery  and  even  ascending  small 
trees,  this  beautiful  climber  first  weaves  in  and  out  its  bell-like  flowers,  and 
then  spreads  to  the  breeze  rounded  balls  of  achenes  with  pale  yellow  and 
fleecy  tails.  Much  of  the  beauty  of  the  genus,  indeed,  lies  in  this  clever  de- 
vice by  which  their  tiny  seeds  may  be  borne,  as  kites  with  long  well-balanced 
tails,  to  distances  far  from  the  parent  plant,  and  thus  every  year  increase 
their  holdings  of  the  soil. 

C.  crispa,  marsh  clematis,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  genus  is  a 
climber  which  also  bears  solitary  and  nodding  flowers.  They  are  fragrant, 
with  a  silvery  sheen  and  look  something  as  though  they  had  been  enameled 
with  blue.  About  their  margins  the  sepals  are  crisped  like  some  tissue  paper, 
while  inside  they  are  lined  with  a  dense,  velvety  tomentum.  Until  frost  al- 
most they  continue  to  bloom.  The  leaves  are  pinnate  and  bear  mostly  tri- 
foliate, lanceolate  leaflets  which  are  for  the  most  part  entire,  although  oc- 
casionally they  become  lobed.  Although  feathery,  the  long  persistent  styles 
are  quite  without  the  fleecy,  curved  appearance  of  those  of  the  already 
mentioned  species.  In  marshes  and  river  swamps  the  plant  grows  best,  and 
jn  the  locality  between  Texas  and  North  Carolina. 

C>  reticitldta,  another  climber  with  solitary  and  nodding  flowers  belongs 


^-^ 


Ol   VD 


PLATE   LVII.     LEATHER-FLOWER.     Clciiijlis  Wiorna. 
(i8l) 


I»2 


THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY. 


exclusively  to  the  south.  Its  dull  purplish  sepals  are  lanceolate  and  quite 
woolly  on  their  inner  margins.  The  pinnate  leaves  bear  oval,  or  ovate 
leaflets,  entire  and  thick,  although  among  them  those  are  seen  which  are 
lobed.  The  very  blonde  tails  of  the  achenes  are  of  great  length  and  ex- 
tremely pretty. 

ERECT  CLEMATIS.     SILKY  CLEMATIS. 

Clematis  ockroieuca. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF  BLOOM 

Croivfoot.         Yellowish  green.         Scentless.         Georgia  to  Stateti  Island.        l^J'iy,  June. 

Flowers  :  terminal ;  solitary  ;  nodding.  C(7/vx  :  cylindric,  the  sepals  with  re- 
curved tips  and  very  silky  on  the  outside  ;  thick.  Achenes:  growing  in  erect  heads, 
purplish,  with  long,  brownish  yellow  tails.  Leaves:  large  ;  simple  ;  oval,  or  ovate, 
sessile  or  with  very  short  densely  pubescent  petioles ;  entire  ;  bright  green  and 
glabrous  above  ;  very  silky  underneath.  Stem  :  erect  ;  one  to  two  feet  high;  red- 
dish and  covered  with  a  silky  fuzz. 

This  attractive  plant  which  through  its  range  is  rather  rare  and  local  has 
been  chosen  for  description  as  representing  the  group  of  clematises  which 
grow  in  an  upright,  or  ascending  way  ;  a  habit  which  might  often  puzzle  one 
not  well  acquainted  with  the  diverse  forms  of  the  genus.  When  it  rears,  in 
fruiting  time,  its  heads  of  achenes  it  is  noticeable  that  their  feathery  tails  are 
darker  than  those  with  which  we  are  more  familiar. 

C.  Addisb?iii,  Addison  Brown's  clematis,  a  leafy,  perennial  herb  bears  ter- 
minal and  axillary,  nodding  flowers  with  a  purplish  calyx.  Its  stem  is  erect 
or  ascending,  from  one  to  three  feet  high,  reddish  brown  and  covered  with  a 
bloom.  The  lower  leaves  vary  from  ovate  to  lanceolate  and  clasp  the 
stem  with  rounded  bases.  On  their  edges  they  are  somewhat  wavy.  The 
upper  leaves  which  are  pinnately-divided  terminate  in  a  tendril.  From 
Georgia  to  Virginia,  in  rich  soil,  especially  along  river  banks,  the  plant  pre- 
fers to  grow. 

C.  ^z/<^V^,  mountain  clematis,  which  occurs  but  Jocally  through  the  Blue 
Ridge  mountains  and  on  Kate's  Mountain,  near  the  White  Sulphur  Springs, 
in  West  Virginia,  bears  small  purple  flowers  which  nod,  are  solitary,  and 
coated  with  a  thick  silvery  fuzz  on  their  outer  sides.  The  stems  also 
when  young,  are  very  silky.  It  grows  uprightly,  and  while  sometimes 
branched  is  stiff  and  somewhat  awkward  in  appearance.  Apparently  but 
little  is  known  concerning  the  range  of  this  rare  plant. 

VIRGINIA  VIRGIN'S  BOWER.     TRAVELLER'S  JOY. 


FAMILY         COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Crozv/oot.  White.         Slightly  fragrant.         Georgia  northward  and  J  ul}\  August. 

westward. 

Flowers  :  numerous;  imperfect;  growing  loosely  in  leafy  panicles.     Calyx:  with 


THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY.  1S3 

four  oblong,  petal-like  sepals.  Corolla:  none.  Slamois  and  pistils  :  very  numer- 
ous. Filajnents :  glabrous.  Fruit:  a  cluster  of  achencs  witli  long,  i)ersistent 
feathery  styles.  Leaves:  trifoliohite,  the  leaflets  broadly  ovate  and  deeply 
toothed  and  lobed.     A  climbing  vine. 

Often  it  is  tluit  the  commoneiit  plants  are  far  more  beaiuifu!  than  the  rari- 
ties which  we  seek  and  favourably  look  upon  simply  because  they  are  rare. 
From  beginning  to  end  the  existence  of  the  virgin's  bower  is  replete  with 
charm.  Not  only  in  remote  haunts,  but  everywhere  we  see  it  running  along 
rail  fences,  or  covering  low  stone  walls  and  shrubbery  with  masses  of 
creamy  tinted  flowers,  exhaling  in  great  waves  their  faint  fragrance,  or  toss- 
ing about  the  fantastic  tails  of  its  seeds.  For  centuries  the  people  have 
known  the  vine.  It  has  been  loudly  lauded  and 'much  written  about.  It  is 
the  generous,  luxurious  child  of  the  family.  In  England,  however,  without 
discrimination,  the  various  species  are  popularly  called,  virgin's  bower. 

What  some  writers  regard  as  a  form  of  this  species  and  which  is  known 
as  C.  Virgin'ana  Catesbyana,  is  distinguished  by  its  pubescent  leaves. 

FALSE   BUGBANE. 

T7'a iitvettcria  Ca roli'n cfisi's. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Croiv/oot.  White.  Scentiess.  Florida  to  Pc7insylvania.  Juufyjuty. 

Flowers:  growing  abundantly  in  loose,  corymb-like  panicles.  Sepals:  three  to 
five,  falling  very  early.  Petals  :  none.  Stamens:  numerous  ;  filaments  slender. 
Leaves:  large;  palmately-lobed,  they  being  deep  and  sharply  dentate;  thin,  with  a 
slight  pubescence;  those  of  base,  long  petioled  ;  those  of  the  upper  stem  sessile  or 
subsessile.     Ste/n:  two  to  three  feet  high  ;  stout  ;  nearly  smooth;  branched. 

It  may  be  that  this  perennial  herb  is  called  false  bugbane  because  at  one 
time  it  was  associated  with  the  genus  Cimicifuga,  whose  members  have  a 
reputed  efficacy  for  expelling  plant  vermin,  and  are  popularly  known  as  bug- 
banes.  The  plant  now  represents,  however,  a  monotypic  genus  which,  as 
well  as  in  America,  occurs  in  Eastern  Asia.  In  the  mountainous  parts  of 
North  Carolina  it  is  found  at  altitudes  of  considerable  height. 

LOW  SPEARWORT. 

Tvii  n  lin  cuius  p  us  ill  us. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

C>ou'/oot. 

J  'elloiv. 

Scentless. 

Texas  and  Fieri i 
Xetv  York. 

xa  to 

April-July. 

Fhnvers :  very  small;  growing  singly  from  the  axils,  or  in  loose  terminal  cor- 
ymbs. Sepals  :  five.  Petals:  one  toYive,  equalling  the  calyx  in  length.  Stamens: 
few,  one  to  ten.  Leaves:  simple;  alternate;  with  long,  smooth  petioles  which 
are  sheath-like  at  their  bases;  long  oval  or  ovate  ;  entire;  the  upper  leaves  lance- 
olate and  almost  entire,  short  petioled  or  sessile,  A  branching  annual,  si.\  lo 
twelve  inches  high;  leafv;  smooth. 


84 


THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY. 


^  This   fragile,    little   plant  belongs   to  the 

group  of  Ranunculus  which  we  find  grow- 
ing in  muddy  banks  and  swamps.  It  is  not 
very  pretty,  and  when  surrounded  by  high 
grasses  becoiiies  quite  lost  to  view  unless 
occasional  glimpses  are  caught  of  its  yellow 
flowers.  Nearly  all  the  members  of  this 
genus  are  neat  lookmg  plants  and  although 
others  than  botanists  seldom  pay  much  heed 
to  their  specific  characteristics,  they  are 
rather  well  known  through  their  kinship 
with  the  common  buttercup. 
'.  obiitsh'tscidus,  water  plantain  spearwort,  which  in  an 
^ht,  or  ascending  way  grows  also  in  ditches,  and 
iddy,  wet  places,  is  a  more  attractive  plant  than  the 
low  spearwort.  Its  small  yellow  flowers,  very  similar  to 
those  of  the  common  buttercup  are  sometimes  over- 
shadowed by  the  lanceolate  leaves,  which  along  their 
edges  are  entire,  or  inclined  to  be  remotely  serrate.  The 
petioles,  as  they  clasp  the  hollow  stem  at  the  nodes,  become  sheath-like. 
This  species  is  of  perennial  duration, 

R.  obloiigifbliiis,  oblong-leaved  spearwort,  a  slender,  and  weak  looking 
annual,  occurs  through  very  wet  or  marshy  places.  Its  golden  yellow 
flowers  with  numerous  stamens  are  small,  and  its  oblong,  or  ovate  leaves, 
are  usually  shorter  than  their  petioles,  and  entire  or  inclined  to  be  dentate 
along  the  margins.     The  upper  ones  often  are  lanceolate. 

R.  scelerdtiis,  celery-leaved  crowfoot,  comes  before  us  as  a  leafy,  glabrous 
plant,  very  different  in  appearance  from  any  of  the  preceding  ones  by  reason 
of  its  lobed  or  divided  leaves.  •  It  also  is  an  inhabitant  of  ditches  and 
muddy  banks.  Its  stem  is  very  stout  and  hollow  and  contains  a  juice  acrid 
enough  to  cause  blisters.  The  large  basal  leaves  at  the  ends  of  their  long 
petioles  are  broadly  cordate  and  palmately  divided  into  from  three  to  five 
lobes  which  are  again  toothed  and  cleft.  The  upper  leaves  are  short-peti- 
oled  or  sessile  and  also  divided.  While  the  yellow  flowers  are  very  small 
they  grow  in  great  numbers  ;  their  petals  being  about  as  long  as  their  sepals. 


Rnmmcuhis 
pusilliis. 


MOUNTAIN  CROWFOOT. 

Rlhi  ini  cuius  A  llcirh  a  n  /en  sis. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Croiv/oot. 

Yeiioiv. 

Scetiticss. 

Virf^inia  and  North  Car-olinu 

Aprils  May. 

to  Massachusetts. 

Flowers:  small;  growing  on  long  pedicels.      Calyx:  with  five    sepals.     Corolla: 


THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY.  1S5 

with  five  oblong,  rather  short  petals.  Ac/u-m-s:  growing  in  a  globose  or  slightly 
oblong  head  and  tipped  with  a  recurved,  hook-like  remnant  <,f  the  style  itsal 
leaves:  with  long  petioles;  renifonn;  tapering  at  the  base,  crenate  or  somewhat 
lobed  not  divKled.  ^tem-ieaves:  long-petioled,  or  the  upper  ones  sessile  divided 
into  linear  divisions  entire  or  toothed  and  cleft  at  their  apices.  SU;n  :  one  to 
two  feet  high  ;  branched  ;  glabrous. 

This  crowfoot  chooses  to  grow  in  higher  and  dryer  ground  than  those  al- 
ready mentioned.  Through  its  range  it  is  therefore  found  in  the  mountains 
where,  being  similar  to  the  next  species  with  which  it  frequently  grows,  it  is 
doubtless  often  overlooked  by  the  llower  seeker,  as  it  differs  but  slightly  from 
its  protege  except  in  the  long,  hook-like  remnant  of  the  style  tipping  the 
achene. 

R.  ahbrii7'Hs,  kidney-leaved  crowfoot,  a  nearly  smooth  plant,  affects  either 
a  dry  soil,  or  that  of  the  moist  woods.  Sometimes  it  grows  as  high  as  two 
feet  and  is  well  branched.  Its  broadly  cordate,  or  reniform  basal  leaves 
with  their  long,  slender  petioles  are  small  and  very  pretty.  Occasionally 
they  are  lobed,  but  more  often  crenate.  The  stem  leaves  are  sessile  and 
divided  deeply  into  linear  lobes,  while  noticeably  shorter  than  the  retlexed 
sepals  are  the  blossom's  yellow  petals, 

R.  inicrcmthiis,  rock  crowfoot  which  grows  in  rich  rocky  ground,  appears 
to  be  very  closely  related  to  the  kidney-leaved  crow'foot.  Its  basal  leaves, 
however,  are  mostly  ovate  and  the  plant  is  densely  covered  with  fine  silky 
white  hairs.  Of  the  upper  leaves  the  segments  are  narrow,  in  fact,  almost 
linear. 

HOOKED  CROWFOOT. 

RiDiuiiciilus  rccurvaiiis. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Crow/ooi. 

Light  yellow. 

Scentless. 

Florida  attd  Missouri 
nort/nvnrd. 

A/>ri/-Ju,ie. 

Calyx:  reflexed.  Corolla:  with  five  petals,  somewhat  shorter  than  or  equalling 
the  sepals.  Aclienes:  forming  a  globose  head,  pointed  and  tipped  with  a  slender, 
recurved  hook,  liasal  and  cauline  leaves  with  long  jnibescent  peduncles  ;  reni- 
form, i^ointedat  the  apex  and  deeply  cordate  at  the  base,  tiie  thrice,  deeplv  cleft  di- 
visions lobed  and  toothed  and  somewhat  hairy  on  the  upper  surfaces,  below  gla- 
brous, or  nearly  so.     Slcni  :  eight  inches  to  two  feet  high;  erect;  branching;  hairy. 

The  hooked  crowfoot  is  not  a  very  pretty  plant,  but  as  it  and  those  that 
follow  belong  to  a  group  characterised  by  hispid  or  pubescent  stems  and 
lobed,  or  divided  leaves,  it  may  serve  us  as  a  type  for  study.  Through  the 
thickets  of  low  grounds,  or  often  in  woods  it  rears  its  pale  yellow  heads. 

R.  hispidus,  hispid  buttercup,  which  extends  well  northward  from  Georgia, 
is  more  the  conventional  type  of  buttercup  than  those  which  have  hereto- 
fore claimed  our  attention.  It  is  one  which  children  pull  to  see  if  their 
companions    love    butter,    and    blossoms    in    earliest    spring.       Its    large 


i86  THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILY. 

flowers  have  rounded  petals  and  shorter,  pointed  sepals.  The  leaves  are 
pinnately  divided  into  from  three  to  five  broad  segments,  oblong  or  ovate 
and  which  also  are  sharply  lobed,  or  cleft.  Even  when  in  fruit  the  plant  is 
densely  villous  with  yellowish,  silky  hairs. 

R.  Peiinsylvdnicus,  bristly  buttercup,  does  not  begin  to  bloom  until  June 
when  through  open  meadows  or  in  wet  places  it  throws  out  small  flowers,  the 
rounded  petals  of  which  are  as  long  as,  or  a  little  shorter  than,  the  pointed, 
reflexed  sepals.  It  is  an  erect,  somewhat  slender  plant  with  fresh,  bright 
green  leaves,  thrice-divided,  cleft  and  lobed  so  as  to  appear  light  and  fern- 
like.    On  nearly  all  its  parts  it  is  covered  with  a  thick,  bristly  pubescence. 

nOUNTAIN  riEADOW  RUE. 

TJialictrioji    clavatiun. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Crozvfoot.  White.  Scentless.  Tennessee  to  I'lrginia.  May.,  June. 

Flowers:  small;  perfect;  growing  loosely  in  panicles.  Sepals:  five.  Petals: 
none.  Filaments:  petal-like;  spatulate.  Stigma:  minute.  Achenes:  flattened; 
spreading  ;  sharjDly-pointed.  Leaves  :  both  basal  and  cauline  ;  petioled  and  bi-ter- 
nately  divided;  leaflets  three,  rounded  or  obovate,  long-stalked;  unequally  lobed 
at  the  summit ;  wedge-shaped  at  the  base;  entire;  thin;  smooth.  Stem:  ^xs.  to 
twenty  inches  high,  sparingly  branched,  glabrous. 

Masses  of  feathery,  fleecy,  little  flowers  proclaim  through  damp  woods 
the  presence  of  the  mountain  meadow  rue.  But  its  most  constant  charm, 
perhaps,  lies  in  its  fern-like  spray  of  graceful  apple-green  foliage  tinted 
underneath  as  it  is  with  misty  blue. 

THICK=LEAVED  MEADOW  RUE. 

TJialictruni  coriaceu>n. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Croiv/oot.     Wliite  and  purple.     Scentless.     Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  June. 

to  Kentucky. 

Floiuers  :  small ;  dioecious  ;  the  staminate  ones  white  with  linear  anthers,  the 
pistillate  ones,  purple.  Ac/ienes:  dull  reddish;  oblong-ovoid;  sharply  ribbed  and 
projecting  the  slender  style.  Leaves  :  ternately  decompound;  the  petioles  of  the 
lower  ones  expanded  at  the  base  into  wing-like  appendages.  Leajlets:  three  to 
five,  with  short  petiolules;  reniform,  or  broadly  ovate  ;  usually  with  three  to  five 
cut,  or  entire  lobes  at  the  apex.  Bright  green  above;  lighter  below,  thick;  gla- 
brous. Stem:  three  to  five  feet  high;  erect,  branched  above  as  in  a  panicle  ;  gla- 
brous.    Roots:  bright,  lemon-yellow. 

Often  we  notice  about  this  meadow  rue  that  the  flowers  of  separate  plants 
do  not  look  alike.  In  one  place  will.be  a  clump  of  those  with  white,  rather 
showy  blossoms  and  not  far  distant  we  see  them  of  a  purplish,  misty  tint. 
This  is  because  the  staminate  and  pistillate  flowers  are  borne  on  different 
individuals, — in  fact  in  two  households.     Then  as  they  usually  tower  above 


THE  CROWFOOT  FAMILV.  187 

other  surrounding  growth  the  breeze  catches  up  the  dry,  abundant  pollen 
from  the  staminate  ones  and  wafts  it  in  the  direction  of  their  duller  looking 
neighbours.  For,  like  the  great  pines,  these  plants  depend  mostly  on  the 
wind  as  their  fertilizing  agent  ;  not  as  yet  have  they  learned  the  more 
thrifty  and  economical  ways  of  insect  carriers.  In  fruit  the  pistillate  (lowers 
are  prettier  than  ever  before,  for  their  clusters  of  carpels  are  tinted  with 
purple. 

T.  ^//Wr/z'w,  early  meadow  rue,  a  slender,  leafy  species,  throws  out  itspani- 
cled  bloom  in  April,  or  early  May.  Its  staminate  llowers  are  rather  attrac- 
tive by  reason  of  the  protruding,  yellow  anthers  with  thread-like  filaments. 
Less  conspicuous  than  these  are  the  pistillate  flowers.  The  small  leaflets 
are  broadly  cordate,  or  ovate  and  divided  towards  the  apex  into  rounded 
lobes,  entire,  or  toothed,  thin  in  texture.  In  the  late  season  they  turn  to 
dark  shades  of  reddish  and  purple.     The  roots  of  this  species  are  not  yellow. 

T.  piirpiirasccns,  purple  meadow  rue,  is  found  as  the  preceding  plant  in 
woods,  or  rocky  thickets  and  can  be  distinguished  by  its  great  height  and 
large  leaflets  which  at  maturity  are  often  two  inches  broad.  They  also  are 
then  a  vivid,  deep  green,  paler  on  their  undersides  and  somewhat  waxy  to 
the  touch.  At  their  apices  they  show  usually  three  distinct  lobes.  \'ery 
abundantly  the  compound  panicle  bears  its  light  fleecy  bloom,  of  which  the 
individual  flowers  are  both  perfect  and  imperfect.  That  the  plant  is  desig- 
nated as  purplish  meadow  rue  is  because  its  stem  is  marked  with  that  colour. 

T.polygamwn,  tall  meadow  rue,  while  having  a  number  of  traits  in  com- 
mon with  the  preceding  species,  grows  to  a  heighfgreater  than  that  attained 
by  any  other  one  of  the  members  of  the  genus  in  our  range.  By  the  side  of 
a  stream,  or  in  an  open  swamp  it  towers  above  nearly  all  else,  sometimes 
becoming  twelve  feet  tall.  Its  stem  is  never  waxy  and  the  leaflets  are 
smooth.  Rather  late  in  the  season  it  develops  its  long  compound  panicle  in 
which  are  both  perfect  and  imperfect  flowers.  The  filaments,  on  account 
of  their  thickness,  readily  serve  to  identify  this  oneof  the  species  characterised 
by  polygamous  flowers. 


THE  BARBERRY  FAMILY. 

Bcrbcridaccc€. 

Shrubs  or  herbs  with  simple,  or  compound  leaves  growing  from  the 
base  or  alternate  on  the  stetn,  and  which  bear  perfect  foicers,  either 
termifial  and  solitary^  or  produced  in  racemes.  Fruit  :  a  capsule,  or 
berry. 


i88 


THE  BARBERRY  FAMILY. 


AMERICAN  BARBERRY. 

Berber  is  Canadaisis. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Ba?-derry. 

Yeihw. 

Scent/ess. 

lilissoicri  to  Virginia. 

May. 

Fruit  :  A  iigust. 

i 


Flowers:  small;  growing  in  lateral  and  axillary  racemes.  Sepals:  petal-like; 
short.  Petals:  rounded,  notched  at  their  apices  and  imbricated  in  two  rows. 
Stamens:  six;  sensitive.  Pistil:  one.  Berries:  oval;  scarlet;  containing  few 
seeds.  Leaves:  simple;  growing  thickly  on  the  stems  in  alternate  clusters;  oval, 
or  obovate;  rounded  at  the  apex  and  tapering  into  margined  petioles  at  one  base; 
finely  serrate,  tipped  with  a  bristle;  thick;  glabrous.  A  spreading  shrub  with  red- 
dish-brown or  grey  branchlets. 

Through    the  barberry's  range    it    is    found    mostly   in    the 
Alleghanies,  and  being  the  only  native  representative  of  eastern 
America  cannot  but  attract  the  eye  of  the  flower  seeker  either 
by  its  lusty,  fine  appearance  in  the  spring,  or  when  in   fruit  by 
the  wonderful  brightness  of   its  berries.     They  indeed  are  of  a 
scarlet   so  lively  looking  as  to  predominate 
all  surrounding  growth.     Until    late    in    the 
season    it   holds    its    leaves,  displaying  with 
greater   clearness    the   three    pronged    and 
sharp-pointed   spines.        Often  the    country 
people    make    the  berries    into    a  preserve, 
and  prepare  as  well  a  yellow  dye  from  the 
shrub's  wood.     The  barberry  that  we  see  so 
abundantly  in  cultivation  is  usually 
the  European  species. 


Berber  is  Canadensis, 


BLUE  COHOSH.  PAPPOOSE  ROOT. 

Caulophylluvi  //ia/iclro}(ies. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Barberry.     GreenisJi  yelloiv^        Scentless.        Missouri  and  Soutli   Carolina       Aprils  May. 
or  purple.  nortli~iVard. 

Floivers  :  small;  growing  in  a  loose  panicle  at  the  summit  of  the  stem.  Calyx: 
with  six  sepals  having  three  or  four  short  bractlets  underneath.  Corolla  :  consist- 
ing of  six  petals  which  are  gland-like  bodies,  hooded  and  with  short  claws;  much 
smaller  than  the  sepals,  one  at  the  base  of  each  of  them.  Stamens  :  six.  Pistil: 
one.  Ovary:  soon  bursting  after  anthesis  by  the  pressure  of  the  two  growing 
seeds  and  withering  away.  Fniit :  naked,  in  pairs,  each  berry-like  seed  at  the  end 
of  its  thick  seed-stalk,  the  exterior  of  the  thin,  fleshy  integument  turning  blue  at 
maturity.     Leaves:  one;  ternately-compound  and  large  and  generally  one  or  two 


THE  BARBERRY  FAMILY.  1S9 

that  are  smaller  near  the  base  of  the  infloreseiice.  Leajhts  :  obovate  or  broadly 
cordate,  twice  or  thrice  lobed;  whitish  underneath;  thin;  smooth.  St^m  :  one  to 
three  feet  high;  siieathed  at  the  base;  erect;  smooth.     Rootstock :  thickened. 

On  many  of  the  highest  peaks  of  the  Cumberland  motmtains  and  fre- 
quently in  North  Carolina  ranging  ac  altitudes  between  4,000  and  5,000  feet 
above  the  sea  level,  this  plant  becomes  in  fruit  more  noticeable  than  at  any 
other  period  of  its  existence,  at  lower  planes.  It  is  then  extremely  beautiful. 
All  about,  it  is  known  by  the  native  people  whose  belief  it  is,  that  it 
does  good  to  all  young  creatures,  the  faith,  no  doubt,  transmitted  to 
them  by  the  Indians  who  dosed  with  it  their  pappooses.  In  the  autumn, 
therefore,  they  gather  its  rhizomes  and  prepare  a  decoction,  held  in  reserve 
throughout  the  year. 

UMBRELLA=LEAF. 

Diphylleia  cyiiibsa. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Barberry.  White.  Scentless.  I'irginia  and  Georgia.  May,  June. 

Flmvers :  growing  in  a  terminal,  many-flowered  cyme.  Calyx:  with  six,  early 
falling  sepals.  Corolla:  with  six,  oblong  flat  petals.  S/ametis :  six.  Berries: 
blue;  oblong;  growing  uprightly  on  their  slender  pedicels.  Leaves:  two  with 
long  petioles  that  are  alternate  on  the  stem  and  one  very  long  petioled  basal  one 
which  is  peltate  near  the  centre;  large;  rounded;  deeply  two-cleft  with  many 
sharply  pointed,  unequal  lobes  ;  dentate;  thin,  glabrous.  Stem:  erect ;  one  foot 
to  eighteen  inches  high;  glabrous  or  nearly  so. 

One  impression  that  this  plant  is  prone  to  give  is  that  it  throws  out  too 
much  leaf  and  too  little  flower.  Again  the  papery  foliage  reminds  us 
vaguely  of  the  May  apple,  although  we  are  saved  from  confusing  the  two 
as  its  flowers  grow  in  a  very  different  way,  being  clustered  and  rising  higher 
than  the  leaves.  Each  year  as  the  stem  dies  down  to  the  rootstock  it 
leaves  on  it  a  scar,  a  habit  with  which  we  are  familiar  in  Solomon's  seal, 
and  which  prevents  any  mystery  concerning  the  plant's  age.  Through 
mountainous  woods  and  along  streams  where  the  umbrella-leaf  grows  its 
appearance  is  much  too  bold  and  striking  to  be  easily  overlooked. 

WILD  MANDRAKE.     MAY  APPLE.     WILD  LEHON. 

PodophylliDJi  pcltaiiiDi. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Barberry.         White.  Scentless.  Texas,  Louisiana  ami  Florida,  April,  May. 

7i07-tli~ivard. 

FloTvers :  large,  solitary,  nodding  from  a  short  stout  peduncle  between  the  forks 
of  the  leaves.  Calyx:  with  six,  early  falling  sepals.  Corolla:  with  six  or  nine 
rounded,  obovate  petals.  Slame/is :  usually  twice  the  number  of  the  petals. 
Pistil:  one.  Fruit:  a  large,  fleshy  berry,  filled  with  seeds  and  appearing  similar 
to  a  small  lemon  ;  sweet,  edible.    Leaves  .-'the  basal  ones  long  petioled,  peltate  at  the 


I90  THE  BARBERRY  FAMILY. 

centre;  deeply  five  to  seven  lobed,  the  lobes  two  cleft  and  dentate;  flowering 
stems  arising  from  different  rootstocks  and  usually  bearing  two  similar  leaves  ; 
slightly  pubescent  and  ciliate,  or  occasionally  glabrous.  Stem:  erect;  smooth; 
sheathed  with  several  membraneous  scales  at  the  base.     Rootstock :  poisonous. 

Perhaps  no  plant  through  its  range  is  better  known  by  the  native  people 
than  the  wild  mandrake,  or  as  they  more  generally  call  it,  the  hog  apple. 
For  hogs,  the  ubiquitous  ones  of  the  south  know  well  enough  how  to  shove 
their  long  snouts  under  the  great  leaves  in  search  of  its  hidden  treasure, 
the  sweetish,  yellow  fruit.  It  is  perhaps  their  struggle  for  existence  w^hich 
makes  these  creatures  sagacious  and  happily  they  are  not  over  discriminat- 
ing about  flavour.  Through  the  mountainous  districts  they  freely  roam  in 
search  of  their  livelihood  ;  their  owners'  responsibility  concerning  them 
often  having  ceased  with  the  tying  of  a  cow  bell  about  their  necks.  From 
them  no  place  is  sacred.  Other  parts  of  the  plant  than  its  fruit,  however, 
contain  certain  drastic,  poisonous  properties  which  they  know  well  enough 
to  leave  alone,  although  these  are  utilized  by  chemists  for  whom  the  people 
collect  the  rhizomes  in  the  autumn.  Children  have  the  pretty  idea  that  the 
plant  only  unfurls  its  great  umbrella-like  leaves  during  April  showers. 


THE  STRAWBERRY=SHRUB  FAMILY. 

CalycantJiacccE. 

Spreading  shriihs  with  sii7tple,  opposite,  entire  leaves  having  shoft 
petioles,  and  ivhich  bear  large  flowers,  solitary  at  the  ends  of  leafy 
hranehes.  Sepals  and  petals  imbricated  in  rows.  Fruit  large,  enclosing 
many  seeds. 

SMOOTH   STRAWBERRY=SHRUB.     CAROLINA   ALLSPICE, 

But)ieria  fcr  tills. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Strawberry-         Maroon.         Faintly  scented  Georgia  and   Tennessee.,  May. 

shrub.  or  scentless.  to  Pennsylvania.  Fruit:  August. 

Fhrwcr-hracts :  green;  linear;  persistent.  Sepals  and  petals:  long;  linear  and 
imbricated  in  many  rows.  Sfameits  :  numerous.  Pistils:  numerous,  within  the 
receptacle.  Fruit:  ovoid;  tapering  at  the  base  and  enclosing  about  twenty 
large,  flattened  seeds.  Leaves :  with  short  almost  glabrous  petioles  ;  ovate  or 
elliptical,  tapering  at  the  base  into  the  margined  petiole  ;  thin;  dark  green;  rough 
on  the  upper  surface;  glaucous  underneath  at  least  when  young.  A  branching 
shrub,  four  to  ten  feet  high  with  reddish  bark  marked  with  pale  dots. 

In  western  North  Carolina,  as  I  once  saw  from  the  roadside  the  large 
fruit  of  this  shrub  shadowed  by  other  foliage,  it  recalled  a  wild  fig  just  be- 


THE  STRAWBERRY-SHRUB  FAAHLV.  ,91 

ginning  to  ripen  ;  although  naturally  the  outlines  of  its  foliage  forbade  the 
pursuance  of  the  illusion.  When  gathered  and  opened,  the  seeds  were 
found  to  be  quite  numerous,  while  within  each  one  the  cotyledons,  snugly 
curled,  were  clearly  to  be  seen.  This  fruit  it  is  said,  is  very  poisonous  to 
sheep. 

yy,  Florida,  hairy  strawberry-shrub,  a  native  of  the  south,  is  the  species  so 
generally  planted  and  which  when  well  grown  assumes  rounded  and  beau- 
tiful proportions.  Its  branches  and  petioles  are  covered  with  pubescence 
while  underneath  the  leaves  also  are  softly  downy.  The  greatest  difference 
between  the  two  shrubs,  however,  in  the  way  of  their  affording  pleasure,  is 
that  the  flowers  of  this  one,  especially  when  they  are  crushed,  emit  a  most 
delightful  fragrance,  suggestive  of  the  spicy  scent  of  wild  woodsy  straw- 
berries. 


THE  LAUREL  FAMILY. 

Laurlicea:. 

Mostly  aromatic  trees  or  shrubs  7vitJi  alternate,  siniple,  minutely  dotted 
leaves  without  stipules  and  s??iall  yellow  or  greenish  usually  fragrant 
flowers  produced  in  clusters.     Calyx  segments  imbricated  in  tiuo  series. 
Corolla  :    none.     Fruit :  a  berry  or  d?icpe. 

SPICE=BUSH.     BENJAfllN  BUSH.     FEVER    BUSH. 
WILD  ALLSPICE. 

Benzoin  Benzoin. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Laurel.         Leutoji-yelloiv.      Fragrant.      Tennessee  and  North  Carolina  Marc/i,  A />rii. 

nortkivard  and  ivestward. 

Flowers :  dioecious,  growing  thickly  along  the  branches  and  appearing  liefore  the 
leaves  ;  the  clusters  having  at  their  bases  an  invokicre  of  four  deciduous  scales. 
Calyx  :  with  six  early  falling,  rounded  segments.  vStaniinate  flowers  with  their 
stamens  arranged  in  series  of  three  ;  pistillate  ones  with  a  rounded  ovary  and 
rudiments  of  fifteen  to  eighteen  stamens.  Drupes:  bright  red,  oblong,  fragrant 
when  opened.  Leaves  :  aUernate,  with  slender,  ])ubescent  petioles  ;  oval,  or  el- 
liptical, pointed  at  both  ends,  paler  below  than  above  ;  deciduous.  A  spreading 
shrub  three  to  twenty  feet  high  with  slender  twigs,  the  bark  of  which  is  greyish  and 
smooth. 

Like  a  beam  of  sunshine  radiating  the  bare  tangled  branches  of  winter  do 
innumerable  little  lemon-yellow  blossoms  of  the  spice  bush  spread  the  moist 
woods  in  earliest  spring  and  wave  a  proclarnation  of    its  incoming.     Much 


192  THE  LAUREL  FAMILY. 

then  is  beginning  to  sl:iovv  colour,  altliough  in  a  subtle,  mysterious  way. 
Tips  of  the  red  maple  have  already  tinted  their  grim  bearers  with  crimson 
and  a  shower  of  white  is  upheld  by  the  June  berry.  It  is  the  time  of  ex- 
pectancy ;  the  time  when  few  plants  sleep.  Later  when  the  leaves  of  the 
spice  bush  unfold  they  are  found,  if  crushed,  to  give  out  an  odour  which 
reminds  us  of  its  relative  the  sassafras,  and  likewise  haye  in  war  times  of 
this  country  been  used  as  a  substitute  for  tea.  When  the  berries  are  ripe, 
after  perhaps  a  flourishing  brood  of  cat  birds  has  been  reared  in  the  boughs, 
housewives  wise  in  their  generation  gather  them  also  to  powder  and  use  as 
a  spice. 

B.  inelisscBfbUum^  hairy  spice-bush  while  very  similar  to  the  more  common 
species,  has  on  its  young  buds,  the  twigs  and  underside  of  the  leaves,  a  thick 
pubescence.  It  grows  in  wet  soil  and  swamps  from  North  Carolina  south- 
ward and  blooms  as  early  as  February. 

RED  BAY.     ISABELLA=WOOD. 

Per  sea  Borboiiia. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF   BLOOM 

Laurel.     Oval^  dense  croivn.      20-6^  feet.       Texas  and  Florida  to  Vi^-ginia  May. 

and  7iorthward.  Fruit:  September. 

Bark:  reddish;  young  twigs  greyish,  puberulent  or  nearly  glabrous.  Leaves: 
alternate;  oblong  or  ol)long  lanceolate,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  narrowed  at  the 
base;  entire;  lustrous;  bright  green;  glabrous  above  at  maturity,  paler  underneath; 
coriaceous;  evergreen.  Flcnvers:  yellow;  j^erfect;  a  few  growing  in  panicles  on 
long,  axillary  and  closely  pubescent  peduncles.  6rt/j'jr.- six-parted,  imbricated  in 
the  bud,  the  segments  either  equal  or  unequal.  Corolla:  none.  Stamens:  twelve, 
the  outer  ones  anther-bearing.      Berries:  globose;  dark  blue. 

The  rose  coloured  wood  of  the  red  bay  is  very  beautiful,  as  it  takes  a  most 
brilliant  polish  and  the  best  pieces  of  it  have  something  of  the  shimmering 
look  of  watered  satin.  Long  before  mahogany  became  so  generally  used  it 
was  much  sought  for,  and  some  exquisite  pieces  of  furniture  made  from  it 
are  still  to  be  found  among  the  older  inhabitants  of  the  south.  Its  leaves 
have  an  aromatic  fragrance  much  like  sassafras.  They  could,  it  is  thought, 
be  made  to  yield  a  substance  similar  to  that  used  in  the  bay  rum  of  the 
West  Indies. 

P.  piibescens,  swamp  bay  grows  near  the  coast  from  Mississippi  and  Florida 
to  Virginia.  It  is  a  water-loving  tree  of  at  most,  about  thirty-five  feet  high 
and  having  its  parts,  as  its  specific  name  would  imply,  covered  with  a  dense, 
brownish  pubescence.  In  coming  into  bloom  it  is  considerably  later  than 
the  red  bay  and  its  wood  is  orange-brown. 


THE  LAUREL  FAMILY.  193 

SASSAFRAS.      AGUE  TREE. 

Sa'ssa/rns    Sassafras. 
FAMILY  Shape  height  range  time  of  bloom 

Liiurel.       Crown,  nurroxv^  o/>en.         i^-jo-i'z<^fect.  Texas  and  liorida  .-ipri/,  AJ„y. 

northward.  Fruit:  Aug.,  6>//. 

Bark  I  dark,  reddish  brown  ;  irregularly  broken  and  furrowed.  BraUchlets : 
yellowisli  grey,  when  young,  peeling  readily;  aromatic  ;  mucilaginous.  Leaves) 
aUernate  ;  petioled,  entire  or  two  to  live  lobecJ  ;  ovale  orobovate,  when  two-lobed 
usually  mitten-shaped  ;  the  apices  of  the  leaves  and  h^bes  bluntly  jjointed  or 
slightly  rounded  ;  narrowed  at  the  base.  Sinuses:  when  the  loixs  are  present, 
rounded.  Dark  green  ;  shiny  becoming  glabrous  and  often  sprinkled  with  pellucid 
dots,  /^f'i^M/^r J- ;  dioecious;  greenish  yellow,  growing  in  umbel-like  clusters  and 
appearing  with  the  leaves.  Calyx',  pubescent;  six-lobed.  Statnetts :  nine. 
Fruit :  blue,  growing  on  showy  red  pedicels  ;  oval  j   one-seeded;   pungent. 

In  travelling  through  the  mountainous  districts  of  the  south  we  saw- 
quantities  and  quantities  of  the  sassafras  as  it  lined  the  sides  of  roads  and 
occurred  mostly  in  its  shrubby  form.  But  through  denser  thickets  its 
brilliant  red  peduncles  holding  blue  berries  also  shone  brightly.  The  higher 
up  we  went  the  more  of  these  berries  were  about,  for  it  was  then  late  in  the 
season  when  few  birds  were  there  to  feast  on  them.  They  had  gone  below, 
leaving  in  time  a  region  w^here  the  winters  are  often  so  cold  that  Nellie  Cotton- 
tail is  found  frozen  stiff  on  the  ground.  Of  the  sassafras  it  has  been 
written  :  "  It  is  the  last  survivor  of  a  race  which  at  an  earlier  period  of  the 
earth's  history  was  common  to  the  two  hemispheres.  It  is  the  only  tree  in 
a  large  and  important  family  of  plants  which  has  been  able  to  maintain  itself 
in  a  region  of  severe  winter  cold.  The  structure  of  its  flowers,  like  those  of 
other  plants  of  the  laurel  family,  is  curious  and  not  easily  explained  with  refer- 
ence to  special  adaptations  to  special  ends." 

After  the  sassafras'  discovery,  it  was  for  as  long  as  two  centuries  regarded 
as  a  panacea  for  all  ills  and  wide-spread  was  the  belief  in  the  virtue  of  its 
wood  and  bark.  In  1602  an  expedition  was  sent  from  England  to  Massa- 
chusetts wath  the  sole  object  in  view  of  procuring  it,  while  in  Virginia,  the 
officials  were  instructed  to  send  it  home.  Among  other  wonderful  things  it 
even  had  attributed  to  it  the  power  of  making  salt  water  tit  to  drink, 
Emerson  moreover  says  :  "  this  tree  has  the  credit  of  having  aided  in  the 
discovery  of  America,  as  it  is  said  to  have  been  its  strong  fragrance,  smelt 
by  Columbus,  which  encouraged  him  to  persevere,  and  enabled  him  to  con- 
vince his  mutinous  crew  that  land  was  near."  It  w^as  the  French  in  Florida 
also  who  first  learned  from  the  Indians  who  called  it  "  pavame  "  some  of 
the  other  things  for  which  it  was  employed.  In  Louisiana  the  Choctaw 
Indians  still  make  from  its  leaves  a  yellow  pow^der  with  which  the  Creoles  give 
flavour  to  their  gumbo  file.  The  twigs  besides  yield  a  mucilaginous  sub- 
stance useful  to  oculists    and    the  aromatic  oil  obtained  from   its  wood  is 


194  THE  LAUREL  FAMILY. 

well  known.  While.still  its  leaves  are  used  to  make  a  wholesome  sort  of  tea, 
however,  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  most  of  its  former  glamour  has 
departed  and  the  sassafras  is  now  simply  recognised  as  containing  "  a  mild 
aromatic  stimulant." 

THE  POPPY  FAfllLY. 

PapaverdcecE. 

A  group  of  herbs  with  coloured,  or  milky  sap,  simple  or  compound 
alternate  leaves  ;  and  which  bear  perfect,  regular  or  irregular  flowers 
solitary,  or  in  clustered  inflorescejices. 

CLiriBlNQ  FUMITORY.      ALLEGHANY  VINE.       HOUNTAIN 

FRINGE. 

A  dliini  ia  fungbsa . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Poppy.         GreenisJi  piLrplc.      Scentless.       Tennessee  and  North  Carolina       June-October. 

northward. 

Flowers :  growing  in  drooping,  axillary  cymes.  Sepals :  two.  Petals :  four, 
united  into  a  long  cordate  persistent  corolla,  four  lobed  at  the  apex  ;  persistent. 
Stajuens:  six,  monadelphous  below,  diadelphous  above.  Capsule:  oblong,  within 
the  corolla.  Leaves:  biphmately  divided,  the  leaflets  small;  obovate  and  irregu- 
larly lobed,  or  entire,  thin;  smooth.  A  slender  vine  climbing  by  means  of  its 
tendril-like  petioles. 

We  notice  something  very  neat  and  dainty  about  both  the  flowers  and 
foliage  of  this  vine,  as  it  is  seen  climbing  boldly  through  moist  thickets  and 
woods.  This,  however,  it  does  not  begin  to  do  until  the  second  year  of  its 
growth  when  it  is  considerably  changed  in  appearance  from  its  more  youth- 
ful days.  And  later  when  the  capsules  mature  it  is  interesting  to  pull  them 
out  from  within  the  withered  corolla  by  projections  at  their  bases  and  to 
find  further  that  they  are  filled  with  tiny,  shining  black  seeds.  The  genus 
is  one  that  is  monotypic. 

WILD  BLEEDING    HEART.     {Plate  LVIII) 

BicuciiUa  c.ximia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Poppy.  Deep  pink.  Scentless.  Tetinessee  to  New  York.  April-October. 

Flowers :  irregular ;  clustered  loosely  in  compound  racemes  and  nodding  from 
slender  pedicels,  bracted  at  their  bases.  Sepals :  two  ;  appearing  like  scales. 
Corolla  :  cordate,  the  four  petals  in  pairs,  slightly  united,  the  exterior  pair  with 
spurs  at  the  'base  and  diverging  at  the  apex  ;  the  inner  pair  raised  on  long  claws, 


^'1 

If  I     /.^ 

y.jif 


#^ 


^t      ^•'f 


1?& 


\,.  \ 


PLATE   LVlll.     WILD  BLEEDING   HEART.     BicitciilLi  cxiniij. 


196  THE  POPPY  FAMILY. 

coherent  above  and  winged  along  their  backs.  Stamens:  six,  in  two  sets  and  fol- 
lowing the  line  of  the  outer  petals.  Pistil:  one.  Capsules:  projecting  a  long  bit  of 
the  slender  styl-e.  Leaves:  all  basal  with  long,  smooth  petioles;  ternately  parted, 
the  divisions  having  stalks  and  being  pinnately  divided  into  ovate  or  obovate 
segments  which  are  again  lobed,  or  toothed;  thin;  glabrous.  An  erect  herb,  one 
to  two  feet  high. 

Forming  thick,  fern-like  clumps  in  cool  places,  for  often  the  flowering 
scapes  are  shorter  than  the  foliage,  we  saw  under  the  high  rocks  which  are 
so  conspicuous  in  the  superb  gorge  near  Johnston  City  in  Tennessee  a  great 
deal  of  this  interesting  plant.  Here  indeed  was  its  true  home,  for  in  the 
southern  Alleghanies  it  is  a  native.  It  was  then  late  in  September  and 
while  many  of  the  quaint  rose-coloured  flowers  still  blossomed,  on  the  same 
individuals  were  many  capsules  beginning  to  look  well  filled  out  and 
rounded.  On  every  side  of  us,  in  fact,  were  masses  of  intense  green, 
although.here  and  there,  as  a  forerunner  of  the  autumn,  flecks  of  brilliant 
red  were  tipping  the  tree  tops.  Combined  with  its  unique  personality  that 
the  plant  is  so  constant  a  bloomer  makes  it  an  excellent  one  for  the  border 
in  cultivation. 

B.  Canadensis,  squirrel  corn,  bears  whitish,  often  purple-tinted  and  nod- 
ding flowers  which  emit  a  faint  fragrance  something  like  that  of  hyacinths. 
Their  spurs,  which  are  short  and  rounded,  form  a  deeply  cordate  base  and 
the  foliage,  while  bearing  the  marks  of  the  genus,  is  noticeable  from  its 
silvery^  under-bloom.  It  arises  from  a  cluster  of  small,  yellow  tubers  look- 
ing like  grains  of  corn,  and  these  often  the  people  collect. 

B.  Cucidlaria,  Dutchman's  breeches,  soldier's  cap  or  white  hearts,  sends 
out  its  exquisite,  elfish  little  flowers  in  earliest  spring.  They  are  white,  tinted 
with  pink  and  show  a  yellow  summit.  Because  their  spurs  diverge  very 
widely  at  the  base  they  can  be  quickly  told  from  the  bloom  of  the  two  pre- 
ceding species.  The  plant  also  is  shorter  than  they,  seldom  being  over  ten 
inches  high,  and  is  the  one  most  generally  found. 

PINK   CORYDALIS. 

Capnoides  sempervire7is.     . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Fof<py.  Rose-pink  and  yellozv.  Scentless.  North  Carolina  April-September. 

nortkzvard. 

Flowers:  growing  loosely  in  racemes  at  the  ends  of  axillary  and  terminal  shoots. 
Calyx:  with  two  small  sepals.  Civolla  :  irregular,  deciduous,  with  four  united 
petals,  one  of  the  outer  pair  forming  at  their  base  a  rounded  spur,  the  interior 
pair,  narrow,  keeled.  Stamens:  six,  in  two  sets.  Pistil:  one.  Capsule:  erect; 
linear;  projecting  a  bit  of  the  style.  Leaves:  the  basal  and  lower  stem  ones 
being  long  petioled;  the  upper  ones  nearly  sessile;  pinnately  decompound;  the 
leaflets  with  mostly  obovate  segments,  lobed  or  entire,  thin;  light  green  and 
glaucous  underneath.     An  ere-ct,  much  branched  and  glabrous  herb. 

High  up  in  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina  are  found  in  many  places  long 


THE  POPPY  FAMILY. 


197 


sprays  from  which  these  dainty  flowers  nod  enchantingly.  Strongly  sugges- 
tive they  are  of  the  fumitory  group  and  their  beauty  is  also  enhanced  by  a 
spreading  background  of  fine  lace-like  foliage.  The  punctured  ones  that 
occur  among  the  blossoms  are  those  in  which  ruthless  bumblebees  have 
made  for  themselves  a  more  convenient  opening  to  reach  the  nectar  than 
the  mysterious  one  which  nature  has  provided. 

C.  fidvidum,  pale  corydalis,  is  rather  a  low  and  spreading  plant.  Its 
yellow  flowers  which  grow  in  racemes  are  small  and  have  short,  rounded 
spurs.  The  capsules  they  bear  droop,  and  the  seeds  are  finely  wrinkled. 
In  rocky  woods  the  finely  dissected  leaves  call  us  closely  to  the  plant  where 
long  it  holds  the  attention  through  its  delicate  charm. 

C.  micrantJium,  small-flowered  corydalis,  is  another  one  which  grows  in 
well  shaded  woods  ;  those  not  further  northward  than  North  Carolina, 
\'ery  like  it  is  to  the  pale  corydalis,  but  distinguished  by  its  ascending  pods 
and  shiny  smooth  seeds.  In  its  home  in  the  far  south  it  blooms  as  early 
as  February. 

BLOODROOT.     RED  INDIAN  PAINT. 

Sangia'?idria  Caiiadcnsis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Poppy.  Wkiie,  or  pinkish.         Disagreeable.         Florida  northivard.  April.   .May. 

Flowers:  usually  solitary,  terminal  at  the  end  of  a  naked  scape  wliich  is  en- 
wrapped at  the  base  by  a  membraneous  sheath.  Sepals  :  two;  falling  early.  Petals  : 
eight  to  twelve;  oblong  or  spatulate;  arranged  in  two  or  three  row^s.  Stamens: 
numerous.  Leaf:  one  from  the  base,  long  petioled;  reniform,  or  ori)icular; 
broadly  cordate  and  palmately  five  to  nine  lobed,  they  being  cleft  or  crenate. 
Rootstock:  horizontal  and  as  the  stalks  containing  a  blood-red  juice. 

This  white  wilding  with  its  centre  of  gold  breathes  out  so  freely  a  greeting 
to  the  early  spring  that  it  seems  not  to  be  especially  petted  by  dame 
Nature,  in  spite  of  its  fragility.  Very  bravely  it  shows  a  bold  front  to  the 
weather.  Neither  has  it  been  ruthlessly  thrust  on  the  world.  Its  protection 
is  found  in  the  way  the  young  leaf  is  wrapped  about  the  tender  blossom 
which  does  not  unfold  and  allow  its  stalk  to  stretch  upward  until  after  it 
has  gained  some  confidence  in  its  strength.  And  then  almost  as  soon  as  it 
has  fully  blown,  it  perishes.  One  must  be  out  with  the  early  birds  to  catcli 
a  glimpse  of  it  as  the  warm  sun  blows  it  open  and  before  its  sepals 
have  been  carried  away  by  a  lively  wind.  It  lives,  it  would  seem, 
only  long  enough  to  perish.  To  the  Indians  the  plant  was  known  as  the 
"red  puccoon."  They  used  its  highly  coloured  juice  in  wartimes  to  paint 
their  faces  and  also  to  dye  many  materials  for  their  baskets.  In  medicine  it 
is  still  employed  domestically  as  an  e.xpectorant.  It  grows  in  rich  woods 
often  on  hillsides, — a  most  lovely  wild  flower.  Those  who  carry  it  away 
find  that  it  is  easy  to  transplant  and  does  well  in  cultivation. 


198  THE  MUSTARD  FAMILY. 

THE  nUSTARD  FAMILY. 

Critciferce. 

A  large  group  of  hej-bs  with  acrid,  watery  sap,  alternate  leaves  and 
rather  small  white,  or  yellow  Jloivers  which  grow  in  coryjfibs  or  racemes. 
Sepals:  four  usually  early  falling.  Petals :  four  ;  cruciform.  Stai7iens: 
usually  six,  two  of  which  are  shorter  than  the  others.     Fruit :  a  capsule. 

WILD    PEPPERGRASS. 

Lcpiditnn   Virginicinn. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mustard.  White.  Scentless.  Texas  a?:d  Florida  ]\Iny-Nove7nber. 

northward. 

Flcnvers  :  tiny;  growing  in  lateral  and  terminal  racemes.  Sepals:  four,  early 
falling.  Petals  :  four,  spreading  in  the  form  of  a  cross  or  occasionally  wanting. 
Stamens  :  two  only.  Capsule  :  flat ;  round,  notched  at  the  top.  Leaz'es  :  those  about 
the  base  obovate  or  spatulate,  unequally  dentate;  those  on  the  stem,  linear,  or 
lanceolate;  sessile  or  the  lower  stalked  ;  irregularly  toothed  or  entire.  An  erect 
and  much  branched  herb;  glabrous  or  slightly  pubescent. 

Frequently  along  the  roadsides,  or  through  fields  we  encounter  this  rather 
weedy-looking  little  plant,  which,  when  well  grown,  however,  is  often  quite 
pretty.  Those  that  remember  it  is  a  mustard,  perhaps  pull  a  bit  to  eat  the 
many  round  and  lustrous  pods  which  have  a  spicy  taste. 

SHEPHERD'S  PURSE.     MOTHER'S  HEART. 

Bursa  Bursa-pastbris. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Mustard.  M'liitc.  Scentless.  General.  April-September. 

Flowers:  minute;  inconspicuous;  growing  in  long  racemes,  their  thread-like 
pedicels  becoming  long  in  fruit  and  spreading  at  right  angles  from  the  stem. 
Calyx :  pubesce'nt,  considerably  shorter  than  the  petals.  Pods  :  triangular,  wedge- 
shaped  at  the  base  and  becoming  broadly  cordate  at  the  apex;  two-valved. 
Leaves:  those  tufted  about  the  base,  long,  narrow,  and  pinnately  divided  into 
numerous  irregular  lobes  which  are  dentate,  or  simply  dentate  and  without  lobes. 
Siejn  leaves  :  lanceolate;  clasping  and  projecting  two  lobes  at  the  base  ;  entire,  or 
irregularly  dentate.  Steui:  five  to  eight  inches  high,  branching;  leafy;  pubescent 
below. 

So  constantly  does  the  shepherd's  purse  crop  up  along  roadsides  the 
world  over  that  it  counts  among  the  passers-by  a  legion,  at  least,  of  friends. 
There  are,  however,  few  with  sufficient  sentiment,  or  charity  so  broad  as 
not  to  regard  it  as  a  weed.  In  this  country  it  has  become  naturalized  from 
Europe  where  it  is  called  St,  James'  weed.  The  popular  names  which 
appeal  most  to  us  in  this  country  have  naturally  been  bestowed  in  allusion 


THE  MUSTARD  FAMILY.  199 

to  the  peculiar  shape  of  its  pods,  they  being  infinitely  better  known  than  its 
numerous  and  minute  flowers.  In  the  early  season  when  in  bloom,  for  it  is 
one  of  the  spring's  harbingers,  the  whole  plant  is  collected  by  the  people  to 
be  used  in  medicinal  preparations. 

WATER-CRESS. 

Ron  pa  Nastiirtiuin. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Must  a  rd 

White. 

SccntU-ss. 

Missouri  and  I'iroinia  7iorth- 
ward  to  Nova  Scotia. 

April-Soz'Ciiii;r. 

FlcTcvers :  very  small ;  growing  i-n  racemes;  the  sepals  and  petals  persistent  for 
a  long  time.  Pods  :  linear  ;  spreading  their  small  seeds  in  two  distinct  rows. 
Leaves  :  pinnately  divided  into  three  to  nine  segments,  of  which  the  terminal  one 
is  almost  orhicular  and  considerably  larger  than  the  others  ;  glabrous,  bright 
green  ;  thin.  An  aquatic  herb,  usually  floating,  although  also  of  a  creeping 
habit  and  producing  roots  from  the  nodes. 

About  this  little  aquatic  there  is  something  very  fresh  looking  especially 
when  it  is  reflected  in  water  from  the  banks  of  a  brook,  or  grows  thickly 
about  the  edges.  Although  it  is  common  with  us,  it  has  been  naturalized 
from  Europe.     It  is  also  widely  cultivated  for  use  as  a  salad. 

MOUNTAIN    BITTER=CRE5S. 

Ca  rdc  I  ni  ine  CI  cm  a  1 1  tis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Mustard.  White.  Scentless.  Alabama  to  I'irginia.  April-July. 

FIoToers:  growing  in  short  racemes,  their  ascending  pedicels  short.  Petals  :  two 
or  three  times  longer  than  the  sepals.  Pods :  slender;  ascending.  Leaves  :  both 
basal  and  cauline,  long  ])etioled  and  occurring  simple  and  orbicular  with  cordate 
or  rounded  base,  or  divided  into  usually  three  broadly  ovate  or  rounded  leaflets, 
of  which  the  terminal  one  is  larger  than  the  other  two;  either  crenate,  entire,  or 
irregularly  toothed.     Stem:  slender;  ascending;  purple  tinted. 

At  about  the  same  time  that  the  spring  beauty  spreads  its  carpet  of 
bloom  through  the  wet  woods,  flecks  of  white  are  beginning  to  show  on 
this  one  of  the  mustards.  It  thrives  on  the  high  mountains  within  its  range,' 
often  growing  close  to  some  cool  and  shaded  brook,  and  in  the  autumn  is 
conspicuous  for  its  leaves,  which  are  very  variable,  and  turn  to  exquisite 
shades  of  purple.  The  generic  name  of  this  group  of  mustards,  meaning 
heart-strengthening,  is  in  reference  to  the  fact  that  some  of  the  members 
were  formerly  employed  as  curatives  for  epilepsy  and  hysteria. 

C.  bulbbsa,  bulbous  cress,  is  a  pretty  one  which  grows  erectly  from  a 
bulbous  root,  and  bears  rather  large,  white  flowers  with  elongated  petals. 
The  leaves  are  undivided  and  form  the  round  or  often  heart-shaped  ones  at 
the  base  of  the  stem  ;  they  vary  to  those  uppermost  which  are  sessile  and 
lanceolate,  or  linear. 


200  THE  MUSTARD  FAMILY. 

C.  rotundifblia,  American  water  cress,  spreading  itself  by  means  of 
stolons,  is  not  an  unusual  tind  by  cool  springs  through  the  Alleghanies.  It 
is  of  ascending,  or  decumbent  habit ;  its  slender  stem  bearing  small  rounded 
leaves  often  cordate  at  the  base  and  with  an  uneven  margin,  while  its 
flowers  are  small  and  white. 

C  Peniisylvanica,  Pennsylvania  bitter  cress,  makes  with  its  irregular,  fine 
spray  of  foliage  a  rather  attractive  showing,  for  in  a  distinctive  way  the 
leaves  are  pinnately  divided  into  from  four  to  eight  pairs  of  obovate,  or 
slender  segments  which  are  entire  or  toothed.  Its  flowers  are  less  attrac- 
tive. The  plant  sometimes  astonishes  one  by  growing  as  high  as  three 
feet. 

TWO=LEAVED  TOOTHWORT.      CR1NKLE=R00T.    PEPPER- 
ROOT.    {Plate  LIX.) 
Dcntaria  diphj'lla. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mustard,  Uliite.  Scentless.  Kentucky  atid  South  Carolina         April.,  May. 

northward. 

Flotvers :  quite  large  ;  growing  on  long,  smooth  pedicels  in  a  loose  raceme. 
Sepals:  four;  lanceolate;  early  falling.  Petals;  four;  oblong,  much  larger 
than  the  sepals.  Stamens:  six,  two  being  shorter  than  the  others.  Pistil: 
one;  style  slender.  Pods:  slender,  about  one  inch  long.  Leaves:  from  the 
base  and  also  two  similar  and  opposite  ones  on  the  stem,  they  being  divided 
into  three  stalked,  unequal  leaflets,  oblong  or  lanceolate,  and  roughly  toothed 
about  the  margins  ;  the  lateral  ones  ap])earing  one-sided.  Stem  :  simple  ;  erect  ; 
glabrous.  Rooistock  :  with  long,  tooth-like  appendages,  pungent  to  the  taste  ; 
edible. 

Showing  its  mustard  blood  by  its  many  cross-shaped  flowers  and  living 
luxuriously  in  rich  leaf  mold  near  such  gay  companions  as  the  wind  flower, 
the  spring  beauty  and  the  yellow-adder's  tongue,  we  find  this  one  of  the 
toothworts.  Long  ago  country  children  found  out  that  its  crisp,  spicy 
roots  were  edible.  They  therefore  hunt  them  and  enjoy  the  feast  in  much 
the  same  way  as  they  do  water-cress. 

D.  laciniaia,  cut-leaved  toothwort,  or  pepper-root,  is  usually  the  first 
one  of  the  genus  to  open  its  white,  or  pale  pinkish  purple  flowers  which 
along  the  banks  of  streams  blow,  in  succession  from  April  until  June;  the 
individual  ones,  however,  lasting  but  a  few  days.  The  plant  further  varies 
from  its  already  described  relative  in  having  instead  of  two,  three  fern-like 
leaves  whorled  on  its  stem,  thrice  divided  and  gashed-toothed  into  linear 
segments.  The  rootstock  presents  a  little  chain  of  tubers  strung  together 
and  is  edible. 

D.  heterophylla^  slender  toothwort,  springs  up  from  a  jointed  rootstock 
very  pear  the  ground's  surface  and  bears  usually  but  two  steiii  leaves  which 


PLATE   LIX.     TWO-LEAVED  TOOTHWORT.     Dcntarij  dit^hvlLi, 


202  THE  MUSTARD  FAMILY. 

in  cut  and  outline  resemble  those  of  Dentaria  laciniata.  Their  divisions  are 
very  much  narrower  than  are  those  of  the  large  ovate  basal  leaves.  Its 
range  lies  in  the  mountains  of  Georgia  and  Tennessee  northward  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  New  Jersey. 

LYRE=LEAVED  ROCK=CRESS. 

Arabis  lyrata. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Mustard.  White.  Scentless.  Missoitri  and  Kentucky  April-September. 

northward. 

Flowers :     growing    in     racemes.     Sepals  :     four  ;  small  ;  yellowish.     Petals  : 
considerably  longer,  squared    or    rounded    at    their    apices.     Fods  ;    long;  linear  ; 
ascending.     Leaves:    those  of  the    base    tufted    and    lyrately-pinnatifid ;    those    of 
the  stem  narrowly  spatulate,  or  linear  ;    sessile  ;    entire  or  dentate.     Stem  :    erect ; 
slender;    leafy;    pubescent  below. 

On  rocky  cliff,  often  by  the  side  of  Draba  ramosissima,  this  little  plant 
appears  sometimes  to  be  showered  with  its  pure  white  and  dainty  blossoms. 
About  Its  base  the  tufted  leaves  grow  often  so  closely  to  the  ground  that 
unless  other  growth  is  pushed  aside  they  rest  unseen. 

A.  IcBvigata,  smooth  rock-cress,  found  in  rocky  mountainous  woods 
from  Georgia  northward,  is  simple  or  but  sparingly  branched,  wholly  smooth 
and  peculiar  in  having  its  very  slender  seed  pods  much  recurved.  About 
the  flowers  there  is  a  slightly  greenish  tint.  Its  basal  leaves  are  spatulate, 
sharply  dentate,  while  those  of  the  stem  are  lanceolate,  or  linear,  partly 
clasping  and  project  at  their  bases  small,  ear-like  lobes. 


BRANCHING  WHITLOW=GRASS. 

Draba  ramosissima. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Mustard.  White.  Scentless.  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee  to  April-June. 

Virginia  a7id  Ketitucky. 

Flowers:  small,  growing  on  pedicels  in  lateral  and  terminal,  erect  panicles. 
Calyx  :  with  four  small,  ovate  sepals,  not  falling  very  early.  Corolla  :  cruci- 
form, with  four  clawed,  entire  petals.  Stamens  :  six,  two  shorter  than  the  others. 
Pistil:  one  ;  style,  protruding,  slender.  Pods:  oblong,  twisted,  projecting  the 
style.  Leaves  :  simple  ;  sessile  ;  oblong,  ovate,  or  oblanceolate,  pointed  at  the 
apex  and  rounded  or  tapering  at  the  base  ;  remotely  dentate  ;  rough  and  hairy 
on  both  sides.  Stent  :  erect ;  six  to  eighteen  inches  high,  branched  below  ;  very 
leafy  ;    hairy. 

There  is  something  in  the  young  dentate  leaves  which  this  plant  sends 
up  in  early  spring  to  well  establish  it  in  the  memory.  It  is  besides  a  dainty, 
pretty  thing  to  find  as  through  the  mountainous  parts  of  its  range  it  ven- 
tures even  to  the  edge,  or  perhaps  peeps  over,  some  high  and  rocky  cliff. 


THE  MUSTARD  FAMILY.  203 

D.  h'achycdrpa,  short-fruited  whitlow  grass,  we  find  through  dry  fields 
and  on  hillsides.  It  is  a  rather  insignificant  annual  and  grows  usually  from 
two  to  five  inches  high.  About  its  base  the  ovate  leaves  are  tufted,  while 
on  the  stem  they  are  smaller  and  sessile.  Sometimes  the  tiny  fiowers  are 
without  their  yellow  petals. 

D.  vcrna,  vernal  whitlow-grass,  is  the  very  common  little  member  of  this 
genus  which  has  come  to  us  from  Europe  and  here  inhabits  waste  and 
sandy  places.  Its  leaves  are  all  tufted  about  the  base,  and  usually  droop  on 
the  approach  of  rain.  The  ascending  scapes  are  terminated  by  racemes  of 
many  tiny  white  flowers  with  two-cleft  petals. 

WAREA.     {Plate  LX) 

War  ha  aniplcxifblia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

I\h(siard.  Ptirplc.  Scentless.  Florida.  Septeviber^  October. 

Flo7oers:  growing  loosely  in  corymb-like  racemes.  Corolla  :  cruciform,  the  j^etals 
oval,  long  clawed.  Stimiens  :  six,  two  of  which  are  shorter  than  the  otliers. 
Pistil:  one.  Capsule:  slender,  recurved,  two-valved.  Leaves:  simple;  slightly 
clasping;  oval ;  entire.     Stem  :  erect  ;  one  to  two  feet  high. 

The  warea,  as  in  our  botanies  this  pretty  plant  is  called,  seems  to  bloom 
rather  pretentiously  for  a  mustard;  indeed  sometimes  so  delicate  in  tint 
and  texture  are  its  petals  that  they  quite  throw  a  slur  of  coarseness  over 
those  of  its  near  relatives.  But  then  its  home  is  in  the  sand  hills  of  the  far 
south,  Florida,  where  somehov/  all  is  tuned  to  a  high  pitch  of  loveliness. 

BLADDER=POD. 

Lesquerclla  Lescurii. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

jMustard.  Velhnv.  Scentless.  Ten7iessce.  April.,  May. 

Flotuers  :  growing  in  racemes  which  in  fruit  become  elongated,  their  pedicels 
slender  and  pubescent.  Petals  :  entire.  Pods  :  inflated;  round;  two-valved  ;  pro- 
jecting the  style  and  covered  with  minute  hairs.  Leaves  :  simple;  growing  thickly 
about  the  base  and  on  the  stems,  the  former  spatulate,  or  obovate  and  tapering  into 
petioles;  the  latter  partly  clasping,  lanceolate  or  auriculate  with  two  lobes  at  the 
base;  irregularly  dentate,  rough  and  pubescent.  An  ascending,  leafy  and  pubes- 
cent herb. 

Very  local  indeed  is  this  biennial,  it  being  mostly  found  near  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  where  in  a  rather  lowly,  although  ascending  way,  it  grows  on  the 
hillsides. 


PLATE  LX.     WAREA.     IVarea  ampIexifoUa. 
(204) 


THE  CAPER  FAMILY.  205 

THE  CAPER  FAHILY. 

Cappari  dacccE. 

Rarely  trees,  but  shrubs,  or  herbs  with  ivatery  sap  and  simple,  or 
pabnately  eompound  /eai'es  whieh  are  alternate,  or  less  often  opposite. 
Floivers  :  mostly  perfect  and  borne  in  our  species  in  loose  racemose  clusters, 
or  ifi  pairs,  or  fe7v  flowered  clusters  on  short  four-angled  peduncles. 

JAMAICA  CAPER  TREE. 

Capparis  Jc x maicensis. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Caper.  Shrubby  or  7uith  a  't-iojet't.  Southern  Florida.  April.,  May. 

straight.,  slender  trunk. 

Bark  :  dark  reddish  brown;  irregularly  broken.  BrauchU'ts  :  angular.  Leaves  : 
simple;  oblong-lanceolate  or  elliptical,  growing  on  petioles  about  a  half  of  an  inch 
long,  rounded  and  notched  at  the  apex  and  rounded  at  the  base;  entire;  dark  yel- 
lowish green,  lustrous  on  the  upper  side,  paler  below  and  rough  from  the  presence 
of  tiny  scales;  the  midrib  conspicuous.  Floiuei-s  :  white,  fading  to  tones  of  pur- 
ple; fragrant;  growing  at  the  ends  of  the  branches  in  a  loose  cyme.  Sepals: 
recurved  after  anthesis  or  when  flower  is  fully  expanded.  Petals :  four;  rounded; 
imbricated.  Slafnens :  numerous,  with  very  long  filaments.  Pods:  from  two  to 
several  inches  long;  brownisli  red  when  ripe  and  contain  kidney-shaped  seeds. 

There  are  comparatively  few  trees,  or  shrubs  of  more  interest  than  this 
beautiful  flowered  individual  which  makes  its  home  on  the  coast  and  keys  of 
southern  Florida.  And  as  every  year  this  region  is  more  visited  than  before 
by  strangers  it  is  becoming  better  known  as  a  feature  of  our  silva.  The 
delicate  white  flowers  in  fading  turn  to  purple  and  match  somewhat  their 
long,  misty  filaments.  Very  curious  are  the  pods  as  they  twist  and  retwist 
in  drying  and  thus  secure  for  the  seeds  a  diverse  distribution. 

C.  cynophallophbra,  caper-tree,  is  also  an  inhabitant  of  the  Floridan  keys 
and  coast.  While  its  leaves  are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  related  species 
they  are  smooth,  and  the  flower's  sepals  are  much  shorter  than  its  petals. 

PITCHER=PLANT  FAMILY. 

Sarraccnidccc. 
Insectivorous,  marsh  and  bog  herbs  with  basal,  tubular,  trumpet,  or 
pitcher-shaped  leaves  and  large  showy  floivers  which  nod  from  the  end  of 
scapes. 


2o6  PITCHER-PLANT  FAMILY. 

TRUnPETS.     {Plate  LXI.) 
Sarrachiia  DriwunoPAiii. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pitcher-plant. 

Brilliant 
purple. 

Scentless. 

Florida  to  Georgia 
and  westward. 

April. 

Flowers:  three  to  four  inches  wide;  solitary;  terminal  and  nodding  from  gla- 
brous scapes  two  to  two  and  a  half  feet  high  which  arise  from  scaly  rootstocks. 
Sepals  :  five,  coloured  and  having  bracts  underneath.  Petals:  five.  Stajuens : 
numerous.  Pistil :  one;  with  dilated  style  which  divides  into  five  rays  something 
like  an  umbrella,  each  ray  being  terminated  by  a  hooked  stigma.  Leaves :  twenty 
or  thirty  inches  long;  erect;  trumpet-shaped  with  narrow  wing  and  erect,  rounded 
lid,  covered  with  fine,  white  hairs;  this  lid  and  upper  part  of  the  leaf  being  white 
and  variegated  with  purple  veins. 

Almost  every  one  has  heard  about  plants  with  curious,  carnivorous  appe- 
tites which  by  means  of  their  special  construction  to  this  end,  are  able  first 
to  entrap  small  insects  and  then  through  certain  cells,  to  absorb  the  prod- 
ucts of  their  decomposition.  Such  are  all  the  pitcher-plants,  and  of  which 
our  present  species  is  most  striking  in  its  beauty.  Its  flowers  are  great 
radiant  things,  innocent-looking  enough  and  especially  interesting  in  for- 
mation from  the  umbrella-like  shape  of  their  styles.  It  is,  however,  the  leaves 
that  are  wide  awake  to  secure  a  livelihood.  They  are  not  content  with  the 
luxurious  sunshine,  the  summer  air  and  the  rain  ;  they  must  have  animal 
food.  Like  trumpets  they  are  tightly  folded  together  ;  are  closed  at  the 
bottom,  while  the  part  which  extends  above  their  top  is  suggestive  of  a  little 
lid.  Within  they  are  lined  with  a  sweet  substance  which  acts  as  a  lure 
to  many  small  insects,  and  they  once  within  the  leaf's  grasp  reap  the 
wages  of  their  folly.  It  is  difficult  to  get  out  again,  indeed  the  sharp,  down- 
pointed  hairs  make  it  impossible  for  such  little  crawling  creatures  to  climb 
upward.  They  have  but  to  succumb  to  their  fate,  vicarious  suffering,  that 
the  strange,  beautiful  plant  may  have  abundant  life.  Trumpets,  as  without 
discrimination  the  members  of  this  genus  are  called  in  the  south  are  among 
the  characteristic  flowers  of  the  pine  barren  strip  of  country.  In  the  swamps 
between  Aiken,  S.  C,  and  Richmond  County,  N.  C,  this  one  is  especially 
common. 

S.  rubra,  red-flowered  trumpet-leaf,  has  long  and  slim  leaves,  with  narrow 
wings  and  erect,  ovate  lids  which  within  are  hairy,  or  tomentose.  Often 
they  measure  eighteen  inches  high.  Above  they  are  pale  in  colour  and 
much  veined  with  dark  purple.  Usually  the  flowering  scape  rises  above  the 
leaves  and  bears  a  reddish  purple  flower.  At  the  sepal's  base  there  are 
three  coloured  bracts.  From  Florida  to  North  Carolina  the  plant  follows 
the  pine  barren  swamps,  or  sometimes  is  found  in  mountain  bogs. 

^.  Psittaciiia,  parrot-beaked  pitcher-plant,  a  most  attractive  individual 
found  through  pine  barren  swamps  from  Florida  to  Georgia,  has  compara- 


PLATE    LXI.      TRUMPETS.      Sarracenia  Drummomii. 


COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY  FREDERICK   A     STOKES   COMPANY 
PRINTED  IN  AMERICA 


PITCHER-PLANT  FAMILY.  207 

tively  small  leaves  which  grow  in  a  tuft  about  its  base.  They  are  grace- 
fully shaped,  having  a  broad  wing,  and  are  lined  with  white  spots  and 
marked  with  purple.  The  rounded  lid,  thought  to  resemble  the  head  of  a 
parrot,  has  an  incurved  beak  which  almost  closes  on  the  small  opening  of 
the  tube  and  makes  it,  therefore,  almost  impossible  for  an  insect  to  escape 
from  its  hold.  From  the  midst  of  these  leaves  the  flowering  scape  arises  to 
a  height  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  inches  and  in  April  and  May  bears  a  reddish 
purple,  nodding  flower,  deep  and  rich  in  colour. 

S.fldva,  trumpets,  trumpet-leaf  or  watches  as  the  plant  is  respectively 
called,  is  the  largest  and  a  most  splendid  representative  of  the  family.  Its 
great  lemon-yellow  flowers  with  their  oblanceolate,  rather  narrow  petals,  are 
often  five  inches  in  diameter,  while  the  trumpet-shaped  and  conspicuously 
veined  leaves  grow  even  two  or  three  feet  long.  Their  wing  is  very  narrow, 
and  they  do  not  broaden  to  as  great  an  extent  towards  their  summit  as  do 
some  others.  The  slender  pointed  lid  is  yellow,  touched  with  red  and  purple 
and  softly  downy  within.  In  April  and  May  the  plant  blooms,  fairly 
illuminating  many  bogs  and  low  barrens  from  Florida  to  North  Carolina. 

Along  the  Little  River  above  De  Sota  Falls,  near  Valley  Head"in  Alabama, 
and  in  swamps  of  the  Sand  mountain  region  there  is  growing  a  form  of 
Sarracenia  flava.  Its  trumpets,  however,  are  more  expanded  at  their 
summits,  and  they  have  a  broader,  more  rounded  lid.  The  flowers  also  are 
somewhat  smaller  than  those  of  the  regular  species. 

S.  varzoldris,  spotted  trumpet-leaf,  is  found  from  Florida  to  North 
Carolina,  and  especially  about  Summerville,  near  Charleston,  it  carpets  in 
May  the  swamps  with  masses  of  lemon-yellow  bloom.  Its  flowers  are  large, 
with  long  obovate,  or  oblanceolate  petals  and  have  a  spreading  style  that  is 
truly  umbrella-shaped.  The  quaintly  formed  leaves  are  very  long,  erect 
and  with  a  wing  broad  at  the  base  but  which  tapers  towards  the  summit 
until  it  is  quite  narrow.  The  ovate  lid  is  concave,  or  curved  in  such  a  way 
as  almost  to  close  over  the  opening.  That  these  leaves,  besides  being 
veined  with  purple,  have  on  their  yellow  surfaces  innumerable  white  spots 
has  been  the  cause  of  the  plant's  common  name. 

S.  purpurea,  pitcher-plant,  side  saddle  flower,  or  Indian  tea-kettle,  the 
latter  a  quaint  and  little  known  name,  is  a  common  species  and  the  one  on 
which  the  genus  was  founded.  It  is  in  fact  very  generally  known  as  a  curi- 
osity over  the  country,  its  range  extending  from  Florida  to  Canada.  The 
leaves  which  grow  in  tufts  about  the  base,  taper  into  a  reddish  petiole. 
They  are  inflated  towards  the  summit  and  rather  suggest  little  pitchers,  or 
ewers.  Although  glabrous  on  the  outside,  their  inner  side  and  the  lid  are 
covered  with  stiff  white  hairs  which  point  downward.  Of  this  species,  the 
bloom,  though  small,  is  very  handsome,  occurring  deep  purple,  crimson,  or 


2o8  PITCHER-PLANT  FAMILY. 

often  greenish,  while  the  umbrella-shaped  style  is  yellow.     It  and  Sarrace^ 
nia  flava  are  the  two  most  likely  to  be  found  two-thirds  filled  with  water. 


THE  SUNDEW  FAMILY. 

Di'osei'dcea:. 

Insectivorous  herbs,  exuding  a  viscid  substance  from  the  glandular 
hairs  which  clothe  the  leaves,  which  are  basal;  or,  in  Dioncea,  a  glabrous 
herb  with  broadly  wi?tged petioles  and  bristle-frifiged,  sensitive  leaf-blades; 
their  flo2vers  being  produced  o?i  a  high,  smooth  scape,  in  either  racemes  or 
umbel-like  cyjjies. 

VENUS'S  FLY=TRAP.      {Plate  LXII.) 
Dioncea  inuscipula. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Sundezv.  M'liite.  Scentless.  Wibiiington^  No7'th  Carolina  Aj»-iljune. 

and  adjacent  territory. 

Floivers  :  growing  on  a  long,  smooth  scape  in  a  flat-topped  umbel-like  cyme; 
their  pedicels  being  bracted  at  iheir  bases.  C(7/yx  :  persistent;  of  five  slender 
segments.  Corolla:  of  five,  obcoi date  petals.  Stamens:  ten  to  fifteen.  Pistil: 
one;  stigma,  fringed  and  lobed.  Leaz'fs :  from  the  base,  with  a  long  winged 
petiole,  oblanceolate  in  outline  and  terminating  in  a  broadly  rounded,  trap-like 
sensitive  blade,  fringed  with  stiff  bristles  and  either  green,  or  crimson  on  the 
upper  surface. 

To  see  the  Venus's  fly-trap  catch  its  prey  is  a  tragedy  of  the  plant  world, 
equal  in  value  to  the  mythological  story  of  the  old  man  of  the 
fountain  who  swallowed  the  children.  It  is  only  when  the  sun  shines  upon 
the  leaves  that  they  open  widely  their  terminal  traps  and  flaunt  their  brilliant 
linings  to  attract  the  insect's  attention.  The  few  inner  bristles  are  very 
sensitive,  and  as  the  little  creatures  alight  and  brush  against  them,  the  trap 
quickly  closes  and  holds  the  intruder  fast.  A  secretion  from  its  surface 
then  prepares  the  insect  for  digestion,  and  not  until  the  products  are  ab- 
sorbed does  the  trap  again  open  to  entice  another  victim. 

For  a  long  time  this  plant  has  been  regarded  as  a  wonder  and  as  such  is 
treasured  in  greenhouses.  It  is  now,  however,  becoming  very  scarce. 
About  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  where  once  it  was  not  unusual  to  meet 
with  it  frequently  in  one's  rambles,  one  may  now  walk  miles  and  still  search 
assiduously  the  wood's  swampy  places  without  finding  a  trace  of  it.  Only 
those  that  know  some  one  of  its  retired  haunts  can  find  it  readily,  and  from 
these  it  swiftly  vanishes  at  the  approach  of  civilisation. 


PLATE  LXll.     VENUS'S  FLY-TRAP.     Diomvji  mtiscipiila. 

(209J 


210  THE  SUNDEW  FAMILY. 

THREAD=LEAVED  SUNDEW. 

Drosera  Jilifdrmis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF   BLOOM 

Sundew.  Purple.  Scentless.  Florida  to  Massachusetts.         June-September. 

Flozvers:  large;  numerous;  growing  in  a  one-sided  raceme  at  the  end  of  a  high 
glabrous  scape.  Calyx:  five-parted;  persistent;  pubescent  with  brown  hairs. 
Petals:  five;  rounded;  obovate.  Stamens:  five.  Pistil:  one.  Capsule:  three- 
valved.  Leaves :  from  the  base;  narrowly  linear  ;  or  thread-like  ;  coiled  in  the  bud 
and  covered  with  glandular,  brown  hairs. 

Perhaps  the  most  striking  in  appearance  of  this  genus  of  fly-catchers  is 
the  thread-leaved  sundew,  which  unfolds  a  scorpion-like  raceme  of  large 
and  truly  handsome  blossoms.  Its  leaves  uncoil  as  do  fern  fronds,  and  in 
the  sunshine  are  seen  to  glimmer  as  with  innumerable  drops  of  dew.  This 
effect,  however,  is  produced  by  a  fluid  exuded  in  tiny  drops  from  the  glandu- 
lar hairs  with  which  they  are  thickly  beset.  It  lures  and  entangles  the  in- 
sects in  its  sticky  meshes  until  they  disappear  within  the  tight  clutch  of  the 
innumerable  bristles  bending  towards  the  poor  unfortunate.  In  low 
sandy  barrens  this  individual  prefers  to  grow  and  as  it  stretches  itself 
upward  among  surrounding  tufts  of  grass  has  quite  a  different  look  from 
that  of  the  bog  species  of  sundews.  A  notable  difference  between  the 
plants  collected  in  Florida  and  those  of  IMassachusetts  is  the  greater  luxury 
of  the  former's  growth. 

D.  brevifblia,  a  miniature  species  of  sundew,  inhabits  moist  pine  barrens 
from  Florida  to  North  Carolina.  It  seldom  grows  over  six  inches  high  and 
its  wedge-shaped  leaves  are  often  but  half  an  inch  long.  The  flowers  it 
bears  are  white. 

D.  rotiindifbliay  dew-plant  or  round-leaved  sundev^^  while  being,  perhaps, 
the  most  common  species  and  the  one  made  famous  by  Mr.  Darwin,  must 
always,  it  would  seem,  be  searched  for  through  our  range  as  it  rather  evades 
the  sight,  the  leaves  growing  closely  in  a  cluster  about  the  base  and  spread- 
ing out  on  the  ground.  Their  blades  are  round  and  covered  above  with 
irregular,  reddish  hairs  and  taper  at  the  base  into  flat,  pubescent  petioles. 
The  glandular  hairs  exude  a  viscid  substance,  the  peculiarity  of  the  genus, 
and  from  which  it  received  its  common  name.  As  the  rather  small  flowers 
expand  the  scape  unfolds.  They  are  white  and  only  open  in  the  sunshine. 
A  most  interesting  phenomenon  which  has  been  observed  in  connection 
with  these  plants  is  that  sometimes  after  their  season  of  bloom  has  passed 
new  ones  are  found  produced  from  buds  which  appear  on  the  surfaces  or 
edges  of  the  old  leaves. 


THE  SUNDEW  FAMILY.  211 

"  Queen  of  the  marsh,  imperial  Drosera  treads, 
Rush-fringed  banks  and  moss-embroider'd  beds; 
Redundant  folds  of  glossy  silk  surround 
Her  slender  waist,  and  trail  upon  the  ground.'* 


THE  ORPINE  FAMILY. 

C7'assulacecE. 

Chiefly  herbs,  inostly  succulent  in  habit,  and  with  rarely  solitary,  but 
more  often  small  syfnmetrical  flowers  which  grow  iti  cymes.  Calyx 
lobes  and  petals  equal  in  number.  Stamens :  of  the  same  number,  or 
tivice  as  many  as  the  petals. 

WIDOW'S   CROSS.     {Plate  LX II L) 

Sedum  pulchellum. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Orpine.         White,  pink  or  purple.  Scentless.         Texas  to  Virginia.  May,  June. 

Ftcnuers :  sessile  and  crowded  in  one-sided,  terminal  and  recurved  cymes, 
branched  four  to  seven  times.  Sepals:  four  or  five  ;  shorter  than  the  petals; 
rather  blunt.  Petals  :  four  or  five,  linear-lanceolate;  pointed.  Stamens:  eight  or 
ten,  inserted  on  the  calyx;  anthers,  dark  coloured.  Leaves:  alternate;  sessile; 
crowded  along  the  branches;  linear,  blunt  at  the  apex  and  auriculate  at  the  base; 
entire;  glabrous.  Stem:  three  to  twelve  inches  long;  erect,  or  decumbent; 
branched  from  the  base. 

As  the  generic  name  of  these  pretty  little  plants  implies  they  have  a  way 
of  sitting  as  they  grow.  Most  often  we  see  them  perched  high  on  rocks 
where  the  shallow  soil  collected  in  the  niches  is  almost  hidden  from  view. 
Here  they  perform  a  good  service  as  soil  makers.  For  gradually  as  their 
roots  force  their  way  through  the  fissures,  the  openings  in  the  rocks  become 
larger  and  more  subject  to  damage  through  the  violence  of  the  weather  and 
other  extraneous  causes.  Finally  they  crumble  into  dust  which  is  gladly 
received  by  mother  Earth.  In  the  south  the  orpines  are  cultivated  for  they 
are  quite  pretty  and  very  useful  in  certain  places  as  ground  covers. 

S.  ternatum,  wild  stonecrop,  is  a  clearly  defined  species  from  the  way  its 
sterile  shoots  arise  from  the  base  and  spread  their  tufts  of  spatulate,  smooth 
leaves  which  about  their  margins  are  narrowly  transparent.  The  flowering 
branches  also  ascend  and  throw  out  spreading  and  recurved  cymes.  At  the 
bases  of  the  flowers  there  are  leafy  bracts  while  their  linear-lanceolate 
petals  are  white.  The  wild  stonecrop  is  not  an  uncommon  plant  and  when 
found  is  usually  sitting  jauntily  on  moist  banks,  or  the  top  of  rocks. 


PLATE  LXIll.     WIDOW'S  CROSS.     Scduin piilchcUum, 

(212) 


THE  ORPINE  FAMILY.  213 

S.  Nhni,  Kevin's  stonecrop,  or  houseleek,  bears  on  the  flowering  stem 
small  leaves  that  are  all  alternate,  while  those  of  the  sterile  shoots  are  im- 
bricated and  grow  near  the  base  in  dense,  rosette-like  clusters.  On  the  re- 
curved branches  of  the  three-forked  cymes  the  little  flowers  occur  very 
closely.  Their  linear,  pointed  petals  are  white.  From  Virginia  to  Alabama 
in  the  mountainous  regions  it  makes  its  home  and  is  known  to  the  country 
people  through  the  ability  of  its  bruised  leaves  to  cure  nosebleed  when  laid 
on  the  crown  of  the  head,  oi»  headache  when  applied  to  the  temples.  They 
also  seek  it  to  give  relief  when  stung  by  hornets. 

.v.  piisilluui,  a  dainty  little  plant  of  annual  duration  growing  on  mountains 
in  Georgia  and  Alabama,  seldom  becomes  over  four  inches  high.  It  has  a 
glaucous,  pale  look  and  on  its  ascending  branches  the  small  white  flowers 
grow  abundantly.  In  fruit  it  is  particularly  pretty  as  the  capsules  and 
stems  are  then  a  pinky  purple. 

S.  telephioides,  live-for-ever,  or  American  orpine,  is  a  stronger,  more  hardy 
appearing  plant  than  those  of  the  family  that  have  been  mentioned,  and  is. 
in  fact,  almost  indestructible  through  its  ability  to  live  mostly  through  its 
leaves.  These  are  quite  large,  obovate  or  oval  and  .sessile  on  the  flowering 
stem.  They  are  also  remotely  toothed.  The  branches  of  the  cymes  are 
close  and  compact  while  the  little  flowers  they  so  abundantly  bear  are  pink- 
ish and  lively  looking.  The  plant  which  is  intensely  glaucous  casts  about  a 
silvery,  or  purplish  light.  It  continues  to  bloom  as  late  in  the  season  as 
September  and  from  Georgia  extends  as  far  northward  as  Pennsylvania. 

VIRGINIA  STONECROP,  DITCH  STONECROP. 

PeiitJioruni  sedoidcs. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF   BLOOM 

Orpine. 

Yelloivisk. 

Scentless. 

Texas  and  Florida 
to  Xeiv  Brunsivick. 

July-September. 

Flo7ve)-s  :  growing  closely  together  in  forked,  one  sided  cymes  on  short  pedicels. 
Calyx :  five-parted,  the  segments,  ovate,  pointed.  Petals:  five,  (usually  wanting). 
Capsules:  five-lobed,  partly  united  and  tipped  with  the  style.  Leaves:  large; 
alternate:  oblong,  or  oblanceolate,  ])ointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  into  short 
petioles  at  the  base,  or  being  sessile  ;  finely  serrate.  Stem  :  erect ;  leafy  ;  branched 
above  ;  smooth. 

In  wet,  swampy  places,  or  ditches  the  Virginia  stonecrop  is  commonly 
seen  and  is  of  especial  interest  to  us  as  being  the  only  known  representative 
of  its  genus  in  this  country.  Differing  also  from  others  in  the  family  its 
stems  contain  but  very  little  juice.  By  some  authors  it  is  placed  among  the 
saxifrages. 


214  THE  SAXIFRAGA  FAMILY, 


THE  SAXIFRAGA  FAMILY. 

SaxifragacecE. 

A  group  of  trees ^  shrubs^  kerbs  and  vi?ies  with  leaves  groivmg  either 
fro7n  the  base,  or  a/ter?iate,  or  opposite  on  the  stem  a?id  which  bear  perfect 
or  impeffect  flowers,  solitary,  or  produced  in  panicles,  or  cymes. 

niCHAUX'S  SAXIFRAGE.      {Plate  LXIV.) 
Saxifraga  Michatixii. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF    BLOOM 

Saxi/rage.  White.  Scentless.  Georgia  to  I'irginia.  May-Septetnber. 

Flozvers :  tiny;  irregular;  growing  abundantly  on  hairy  pedicels  in  compound 
panicles.  Calyx :  of  five  ovate,  persistent  sepals.  Corolla  :  with  five  almost  linear, 
clawed  petals,  unequal  in  size,  the  three  larger  ones  being  spotted  at  the  base  with 
yellow.  Stamens:  ten.  Pistil:  one.  Capsule  :  two-valved  containing  many  seeds. 
Basal  leaves:  growing  in  a  cluster;  spatulate,  or  obovate,  rounded  at  their  apices 
and  their  bases  extending  into  margined  petioles;  dentate;  very  hairy  on  both  sides 
and  at  maturity  deep  red  on  the  lower  surfaces.  Stet/i  leaves,  or  bracts:  almost 
linear;  sessile.  Stem:  six  to  twenty  inches  high;  erect;  branching;  leafy  above ; 
viscid-pubescent. 

From  the  summit  of  Satula  mountain  in  western  North  Carolina  one  of 
these  dainty  plants  was  brought  to  me  one  day  while  at  Highlands.  It  was 
about  seven  inches  high,  and  flecked  with  many  small,  yellow-spotted 
flowers.  From  it  Mrs.  Rowan  made  the  accompanying  sketch.  Later, 
however,  when  we  went  up  the  mountain  we  saw  many  larger  ones  which 
grew  on  sloping  banks  where  often  a  small  stream  trickled  over  them  as  it 
came  down  the  mountain  side.  Their  leaves  had  then  nearly  all  turned  to  a 
deep  wine  colour,  and  many  were  in  fruit.  Along  Buzzard's  Rock,  an  eerie 
place  where  comparatively  few  strangers  find  their  way  we  also  found  these 
wildings  thriving  lustily  amid  rocks  and  streams.  The  genus  with  its  many 
sprightly  members  has  long  been  reported  to  be  possessed  of  medicinal 
properties. 

S.  Grayd7ia,  Gray's  saxifrage,  as  it  arises  from  its  corm-like  rootstock, 
much  resembles  the  preceding  species  of  Michaux.  Its  basal  leaves,  how- 
ever, are  broader,  being  oval,  or  nearly  orbicular,  while  in  the  same  way 
they  taper  into  margined  petioles.  Another  marked  difference  between  the 
two  is  that  the  petals  of  Gray's  saxifrage  are  all  alike  instead  of  being  irreg- 
ular as  those  of  the  other.  On  the  stems  also,  only  bracts,  not  leaves  are 
produced.  In  rocky  places,  especially  through  the  mountains  of  Virginia 
and  North  Carolina  it  blooms  through  June  and  July. 


PLATE  LXIV.     MICHAUX'S  SAXIFRAGE.     Saxifuga  Michaiixii. 
(215) 


2l6 


THE  SAXIFRAGA  FAMILY. 


S.  Virginiensis,  early  saxifrage,  is  the  exquisite,  bold  little  one  which 
blossoms  out  in  earliest  spring  ;  March  often  tossing  it  about  with  its  bluster- 
ing winds  as  it  clings  tightly  to  the  crevices  of  rocks.  Very  densely  its 
flowers  grow  in  cymes  at  the  ends  of  hairy  scapes  and  show.oblong-spatulate 
petals,  nearly  all  alike  which  are  not  raised  by  claws.  Besides  appreciating 
the  beauty  of  this  saxifrage  and  the  cheer  it  gives  in  the  early  season  we 
know  it  also,  although  such  a  small  individual,  as  one  of  our  greatest  soil 
producers. 


ACONITE  SAXIFRAGE. 


Tht'rofon  acojiitifbliiiin. 


FAMLIY 
Saxifrage. 


COLOUR 

n-hiic. 


ODOUR 

Scentless. 


RANGE 

Gcors-ia  to  I  '/rj^i/iia. 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 

J  iDie^J  uly. 


Flmvers :  growing  in  terminal  and  lateral,  cyme-like  clusters,  and  having  their 
pedicels  covered  with  a  viscid  substance.  Calyx:  with  five  lanceolate,  viscid 
lobes,  the  tube  subglobose.  Petals:  five;  oblanceolate;  deciduous.  Slametts:  five; 
filaments  short.  Leaves  :  those  from  the  base  with  long,  slender  ])ubescent  petioles; 
the  upper  ones  short-petioled,  or  sessile;  orbicular  reniform;  slightly  cordate  or 
squared  at  the  base  and  palmately  five  to  seven  lobed,  they  being  serrate  and 
sometimes  viscid;  almost  glabrous  above,  hairy  along  the  under  veins.  Stem  :  one 
to  two  feet  high. 

Very  like  a  saxifrage  is  this  attractive  native  of  the  Alleghanies  where  it 
grows  in  the  woods  or  by  small  creeks.  Its  generic  name,  meaning  beast- 
killing,  is  in  reference  to  the  substance  of  aconite  v.diich  the  plant  contains. 


FALSE  GOAT'S  BEARD. 

Astilbe  biteriiata. 


FAMILY 
Saxifrage. 


COLOUR 
Creai)i-7vhite. 


ODOUR 

Scentless. 


RANGE 
Tennessee  to  Virgi) 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 
f  line. 


Flcnvers  :  polygamous;  small;  sessile;  growing  in  panicles  often  a  foot  long. 
Staminate  ones  with  linear,  obovate  petals,  which  in  the  perfect  flowers  are  much 
smaller  or  often  wanting.  Stamens  :  \^w\  greatly  exserted.  Leaves:  very  large; 
twice  or  thrice  compound,  the  leaflets  with  petiolules;  ovate,  obovate,  or  lanceo- 
late; long  pointed  at  the  apex,  and  tapering,  or  cordate  at  the  base,  usually  one- 
sided; sharply-serrate  or  cut;  thin. 

No  goat's  beard,  it  would  seem  was  ever  so  pretty  as  the  foamy,  fleecy 
spray  of  this  plant's  bloom,     Froiii  a  long  distance  it  can  be  seen  lightening 


THE  SAXIFRAGA  FAMILY.  217 

the  other  abundant  growth  of  rocky  woods.  Its  leafage  also  is  intensely 
green  and  has  about  it  nuich  of  the  charm  which  is  associated  with  nearly 
all  the  saxifrages. 


FOAM  FLOWER.     COOLWORT.     FALSE  niTRE=WORT. 

Tiiwclla  cordifolia . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Sua- if  rage.  U  kite.  Scentless.  Georgia  nort/nuard  --'/"^,  M.iy. 

and  westward. 

Flmvers  :  growing  loosely  in  a  raceme  at  the  end  of  a  naked,  pubescent  scape, 
their  pedicels  covered  with  glandular  hairs.  Calyx-tube:  campanulate,  five-lobcd, 
the  divisions  white.  Petals  :  five,  oblong;  raised  on  cfaws.  Stavietis  :  ten.  Styles  : 
two.  G//J///6';  tiara-shaped;  reflexed;  two-valved.  Leaves:  from  the  base  with 
long  petioles ;  broadly  ovate,  deeply  cordate  and  having  from  three  to  seven 
dentate  lobes,  pointed  or  blunt  at  their  apices;  their  upper  surface  scattered  with 
hairs  while  smooth  or  downy  underneath.     Scape:  erect  six  to  twelve  inches  high 

With  its  masses  of  handsome  flowers  and  usually  attractive  foliage  the 
cooKvort,  as  the  mountaineers  call  the  plant,  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  of 
early  bloomers.  During  the  summer  it  is  kept  busy  by  producing  runners, 
a  means  through  which  it  spreads  itself  abundantly. 


TWO=LEAVED  BISHOP'S  CAP.     niTRE=WORT. 

Mih'lla  dipJij'Ua. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF   BLOOM 

Sa.xifrage. 

White. 

Scentless. 

Missouri  and  I'ir- 
ginia  tiort/iward. 

April-June. 

Flotvers:  small,  growing  in  a  terminal  spike-like  raceme  on  a  hairy  scape  about 
which  midway  are  wrapped  two  leaves.  Calyx  :  campanulate,  five-lobed.  Petals: 
five;  much  cleft.  Stanie/is:  ten,  slightly  exserted.  Capstile  :  flat,  shaped  like  a 
little  cap.  Leaves  :  those  from  the  base  with  long  hairy  petioles,  broadly  ovate, 
or  orbicular;  long  ])ointed  at  the  apex,  cordate  at  the  base,  three  to  five  lobed, 
serrate  and  incised;  bright  green  and  having  scattered  white  hairs  on  the  upper 
and  lower  surfaces.  The  two  scape  leaves  similar,  op])osile  and  sessile  or  nearly 
so.     Scape  :  erect;  ten  to  eighteen  inches  high,  pubescent. 

While  its  foliage  is  not  as  handsome  as  that  of  Tiarella  cordifolia,  the 
Bishop's  cap  is  still  a  very  pleasing  plant,  and  makes,  moreover,  an  attempt 
at  relieving  the  monotony  of  its  long  scape  by  the  presence  of  two  stem 
leaves.  Its  names  are  in  allusion  to  the  shape  of  the  young  pods,  they 
being  thought  to  be  something  like  a  Bishop's  cap,  or  mitre. 


2i8  THE  SAXIFRAGA  FAMILY. 

RUQEL'S  HEUCHERA. 

Hciichera  Rugclli. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Saxifrage.  White.  Scentless.  Alaba)na  to  North  Jiily-September. 

Carolina  and  Missouri. 

Flo7cers  :  terminating  the  sometimes  leafy  stem  in  loose  panicles,  and  having 
long,  thread-like  pedicels.  Calyx:  campanulate;  persistent ;  pubescent.  Petals: 
linear-spatulate,  considerably  longer  than  the  calyx-lobes.  Stamens:  exserted. 
Leaves :  from  the  base  with  long,  villous  petioles  ;  broadly  reniform,  or  orbicular, 
cordate  at  the  base  and  having  from  seven  to  nine  short,  broad  lobes  with  crenate 
teeth,  each  of  which  are  tipped  with  a  little  point ;  thin  ;  bright  green  above;  lighter 
below  and  very  pubescent  along  the  veins  and  margins.  Stems:  eight  to  fifteen 
inches  high;  erect;  very  slender;  viscid. 

Projecting  from  a  fissure  along  the  side  of  a  great  rock  near  Highlands, 
North  Carolina,  I  saw  this  plant  clinging  tightly  to  the  scanty  soil  which 
had  there  found  a  lodgement.  Its  bloom  was  passing,  but  still  there 
clung  something  of  fleeciness  about  its  thrust-out  stamens  and  delicately 
tinted  calyx.  Its  large  and  finely  formed  leaves  also  gleamed  vividly  green 
and  presented  an  attractive  appearance  while  quite  different  from  the  other 
saxifrages  which  have  been  mentioned.  This  one,  as  well  as  a  number  of 
members  of  the  genus  do  remarkably  well  when  planted  in  suitable  situa- 
tions and  are  desirable  because  they  preserve  their  bloom  until  so  late  in  the 
season. 

H.  villbsa,  hairy  heuchera,  {Plate  LXV.)  may  be  known  from  the  fore- 
going species  by  its  more  acutely  lobed  leaves  and  because  their  under 
surfaces,  their  stems,  and  petioles  are  so  densely  villous  with  brownish 
hairs,  almost  like  a  small  animal's  shaggy  coat.  In  rocky  places  it  also  is 
found  and  through  country  from  Georgia  and  Tennessee  to  Virginia. 

//.  Americana,  alum-root,  raises  a  stout  and  high  stem  more  nearly 
glabrous  than  those  of  the  others  which  have  been  mentioned  ;  while  its 
flower's  petals,  hardly  exceeding  the  lobes  of  the  campanulate  calyx,  are 
greenish.  Its  leaves,  however,  are  its  prominent  feature  of  beauty.  They 
are  rounded  and  have  lobes  which  are  crenate,  or  dentate.  In  the  autumn 
they  turn  to  pinkish  purple  and  remain  bright  and  variegated  in  colours 
throughout  the  winter.  On  their  upper  surfaces  they  are  soft  and  velvety, 
for  always  there  are  traces  to  be  seen  of  the  scattered  hairs  which  clothed 
them  in  early  days. 

KIDNEY=LEAVEDGRASS=OF=PARNASSUS. 

Parndssia  asarifblia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Saxifrage.  White.,  veined        Scentless.         Georgia  and  North  Carolina    fuly-October. 

7t'ith  green.  to  Virginia. 

Flowers:  terminal;  solitary;  growing  on  scapes  ten  to  twelve  inches  high  and 
about  which  midway  is  a  rounded,  clasping  leaf.      Calyx:  with  five  ovate,  or  oval, 


PLATE  LXV.     HAIRVHEUCHERA.     Hnuhcra  .iUosa. 
(=19; 


22C 


THE  SAXIFRAGA  FAMILY. 


persistent  lobes.  Corolla  :  with  five,  elliptical,  clawed  petals.  Sterile  stamens  ; 
fifteen,  grouped  in  threes;  fertile  ones,  five.  Leaves:  from  the  base;  with  long 
petioles;  reniform;  entire;  thin;  palmately-veiiied;  bright  green  above;  lighter 
below;  glabrous. 

So  elfin  and  delicate  is  the  personality  of  this  lovely  flower  that  late  in  the 
season  it  carries  us  backward  and  we  feel  as  though  again  intruding  into 
the  presence  of  some  hesitating,  early  spring  bloomer.  Its  chosen  haunts 
are  quiet,  shady  ones,  by  little  brooklets  or  swamps  and  far  from  the  dust 
and  grime  of  the  highways.  Here  it  freely  spreads  its  fair  petals,  deli- 
cately veined  as  they  are  with  pale  green,  and  quaintly  undulated  on  the 
edges.  It  was  Discorides  who  named  the  plant  and  while  he  may  have 
associated  it  with  the  Greek  mount,  it  could  hardly  have  ever  suggested  to 
him  a  grass. 

P.  Caroliniana,  Carolina  grass-of-Parnassus,  found  in  wet  meadows  and 
bordering  swamps    in  the   mountains    of   North  Carolina  and 
northward,    bears    not    quite    as    beautiful     a    flower    as 
described    relative,  from  which    it  is  easily   recognised   by 
petals  being  destitute  of  claws.     The  sterile  stamens 
are  no   longer  than  the  fertile  ones,  a  character  ex- 
actly  reversed    in    Parnassia   grandifolia,  a   species 
ranging  from  the  Gulf  to  Virginia  and  characterised 
by  the  long,  slender  staminodia. 


Parfiassia  asari/olia. 


THE  SAXIFRAGA  FAMILY.  221 


SILVER  LEAF.    DOWNY  OR  SNOWY  HYDRANGEA.    NINE 

BARK. 

Hydrangea  radiata. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF  BLOOM 

Saxifrage.  U'/iiU-.  ScfiitU'ss.  M issoiiri  to  North  Caro/hia.  Juiti-.July. 

Flozuers :  of  two  sorts  growing  in  large,  terminal  compound  cymes;  the  interior 
and  fertile  ones,  small,  nunieruus,  with  calyx  tube  four  or  five  lobed.  Petals: 
four  or  five.  Std/nens :  eight  or  ten.  The  sterile  or  marginal  fiowers  few  and  radi- 
ating in  a  border,  their  calyxes  having  three  or  four  obovaie,  colcjured  lobes. 
Leaves  :  simi)le;  opposite,  with  slender  petioles;  ovate,  taper-pointed  at  the  apex 
and  rounded  or  cordate  at  the  base;  serrate;  bright  green  and  glabr(nis  above,  and 
covered  underneath  with  a  thick  white  tomentum.  A  shrub  tour  to  eight  feet 
high,  the  twigs  either  smooth  or  pubescent. 

In  the  mountains  of  the  Blue  Ridge  and  westward  where  this  beautiful 
shrub  is  found,  it  grows  sometimes  closely  in  thickets,  or  again  hangs  from 
the  hard  packed  soil  of  steep  road-side  banks.  It  was  in  seed  when  I  saw 
it  there,  and  the  showy  sterile  flowers  which  earlier  in  the  season  had  been 
raised  as  a  signal  to  its  insect  ambassadors,  hung  dry  and  faded.  But  as  the 
early  autumn  breeze  waved  upward  its  still  beautiful  leaves  and  thus  showed 
their  silver-grey  linings  as  soft  and  sheeny  as  velvet,  it  produced  a  startling 
effect  among  the  surrounding  verdure  ;  the  little  flecks  of  red  just  beginning 
to  be  seen,  and  the  gleams  of  yellow  from  foxgloves.  Almost  exclusively 
the  mountaineers  call  the  plant,  "nine  bark."  A  name  significant  of  the 
way  its  bark  peels  off  in  little  layers.  This  they  collect  and  steep  for  use  in 
various  medicinal  ways. 

H.  qiiercifblia,  an  unusually  showy  and  beautiful  shrub,  is  a  native  along 
the  rocky  banks  of  streams  from  Florida  and  Georgia,  westward.  Its 
flowers  are  produced  in  a  dense  terminal  thyrsus  giving  thus  more  the  effect 
of  the  cultivated  heads  than  does  any  other  of  the  wild  hydrangeas.  In 
fact,  for  development  under  cultivation  the  species  is  a  great  favourite.  The 
leaves  are  very  handsome  with  from  three  to  five  well  formed  lobes  and 
are  covered  underneath  as  is  densely  the  young  growth  with  a  heavy  tawny, 
or  light  coloured  fuzz.  Late  in  the  autumn  the  sterile  flowers  turn  to  pur- 
ple in  drying  and  the  foliage  becomes  a  deep  wine  colour. 

H.  arborescciis,  wild  hydrangea,  is  better  known  than  the  two  mentioned 
species  and  extends  further  northward  than  any  other  one  of  the  genus. 
As  a  spreading  shrub  of  from  five  to  ten  feet  high  it  grows  along  the  hanks 
of  rocky  streams,  and  throws  out  ovate,  pointed  leaves  which  are  bright 
green  and  but  slightly  downy  underneath.  In  general  there  are  few  showy. 
sterile  flowers  surrounding  the  inflorescence,  although  so  variable  at  times  is 
the  shrub  that  they  compose  nearly  the  whole  head. 


222  THE  SAXIFRAGA  FAMILY. 

DECUNARIA.     {Plate  LXVI.) 

Decimaria  barbara. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Saxifrage. 

White. 

Fragrant. 

Louisiana  and  Florida 
to  Virginia. 

May^  futie. 

Flowers:  growing  in  terminal,  compound  corymbs.  Calyx:  top-shaped; 
adherent  to  the  ovary.  Petals  ;  seven  to  ten  with  slender  lobes.  Stamens :  num- 
erous. Capsules:  top-shaped  and  projecting  the  styles  with  capitate  stigmas; 
ribbed.  Leaves:  simple;  opposite  with  slightly  pubescent  petioles;  ovate  or 
oval,  pointed  or  blunt  at  the  apex  and  rounded  or  pointed  at  the  base;  slightly 
one-sided;  entire  or  shallowly  repand-dentate  ;  glabrous;  shiny  and  slightly  pubes- 
cent on  the  under  veins.     A  woody  vine. 

On  trees  that  inhabit  low  swamps  this  plant  sometimes  climbs  to  a  con- 
siderable height,  by  means  of  the  aerial  rootlets  which  it  insinuates  into  the 
bark  and  then  ascends  as  fearlessly  as  men,  with  climbers  or  spurs,  do  tele- 
graph poles.  It  is  an  altogether  strange  acting  vine  and  monotypic  of  its 
genus  in  southeastern  North  America.  Late  in  August  when  the  capsules 
have  burst  the  tissue  between  their  ribs  that  the  seeds  may  escape,  they 
still  cling  to  the  stems  and  look  very  much  like  miniature  squirrel's  cages. 
The  leaves  then  have  turned  from  a  vivid  dark  green  to  various  shades  of 
bright  yellow. 

VIRGINIA  WILLOW. 

Ilea  Virginica. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Saxifrage. 

White. 

Scoitless. 

Lo2iisiana  and  Florida  to 
New  fersey. 

May^fune. 

Flowers :  growing  in  terminal,  dense  racemes.  Calyx-tube:  campanulate,  five- 
lobed ;  persistent.  Petals  :  five,  linear,  slightly  spreading.  Stamens :  five. 
Capsule:  oblong,  tipped  with  the  twice  parted  style,  pubescent.  Leaves :  simple; 
alternate  ;  with  rather  short  petioles,  long  oval,  elliptical,  or  oblanceolate,  pointed 
at  the  apex  and  narrowed  at  the  base  ;  sharply  serrate;  bright  green  and  glabrous 
above,  slightly  hairy  on  the  under  sides  along  the  veins ;  deciduous.  A  shrub, 
five  to  ten  feet  high. 

A  rather  peculiar  member  of  the  saxifrage  family  is  this  one,  but  always  a 
delightful  find,  and  especially  when  drooping  its  long,  slender  clusters  of  fra- 
grant flowers.  From  the  resemblance  of  its  leaves  to  those  of  a  willow  it  was 
christened  with  its  common  and  scientific  names,  although  to  many  this  like- 
ness might  not  appeal  as  they  are  a  good  deal  broader  than  the  popular 
conception  of  willow  leaves.  In  wet  places,  barrens  and  especially  through 
the  Dismal  swamp  they  wave  abundantly  amid  the  wild  vegetation. 


PLATE  LXVI.     DECUNARIA.     Dccunaria  Barbara. 


PLATE  LXVII.     ROUGH  SYRINGA.     Philadelphus  hirsutus. 
(224) 


THE  SAXIFRACIA  FAMlLV.  225 

ROUGH  SYRINGA.     flOCK  ORANGE.     {Plate  LX  VII.) 
PhihxdclpJius  Jiirsittus. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Siixi/rage.  Crcain-iohitc.  I'la^rant.         Alaluiiiia  to  North  Curolina.  May. 

FUnvers  :  large;  one  to  three  growing  on  short  lateral  branches.  Calyx  :  top- 
shaped  ;  persistent  with  four  sharply-pointed,  pubescent  lobes.  Corolla  :  witli  four 
rounded  petals.  FilamLiits :  linear.  Leaves:  simple;  opposite;  with  siiort 
pubescent  petioles;  ovate  to  lanceohite,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  pointed  or 
rounded  at  the  base  ;  sh;irp]y  serrate;  dark  green  and  hairy  above  ;  pale  below  and 
covered  with  rather  stiff  white  hairs.     A  shrub  with  grey  or  reddish  bark. 

Beautiful  indeed  are  the  creamy  white  blossoms  of  this  shrub  which  re- 
semble SO  much  those  of  the  orange  tree  and  have  a  fragrance  equally 
sweet.  The  people  know  it  well  for  it  is  common,  and  that  their  senses  are 
not  dulled  to  its  loveliness  is  proved  by  the  numbers  seen  planted  about  their 
cabins.  Seldom  two  plants  more  dissimilar  in  general  appearance  could  be 
chosen  from  the  same  order  than  this  one  and  the  little  saxifrage  Michauxii 
with  which  we  began  our  acquaintance  with  the  family.  They  are,  how- 
ever, first  cousins  at  least,  showing  in  their  innermost  parts  the  same  blood. 

P.  graiidiflbrtis,  large-flowered  syringa,  unfolds  large,  rounded  petals  and 
makes  an  unusually  fine  showing  as  it  occurs  in  low  country  from  Florida 
to  Virginia.  One  to  three  of  the  blossoms  grow  from  the  axils,  or  ends  of 
the  branches  and  their  rare  charm  is  only  lessened  by  their  lack  of  fra- 
grance. 


THE  GOOSEBERRY  FAMILY. 

Grossiilaridccce. 

Including  a  solitary  genus  of  spreading  shrubs  luith  simple^  alternate, 
petioled  leaves  7vhich  are  mostly  lobed  ;  and  bearing  flowers  with  bracted 
pedicels  growing  in  axillary  race?nes  or  being  subsolitary. 

DROOPING  GOOSEBERRY.     (Plate  IX  F/ 1 1) 

Rlbes   citr7'atuiii. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Gooseberry.  White.  Faintly  fragrant.  Georgia.  -'/''«',  May. 

Flmuers :  small,  growing  on  bracted,  twisted  pedicels  from  the  sides  of  the 
branches.  Calyx  :  adnate  to  the  ovary,  with  five  white,  spreading  lobes.  Corolla  : 
included  in  the' calyx,  the  five  petals,  small,  scale-like.     Stamens  :  five  ;  e.\sertcd  ; 


.-- .% 


PLATE   LXVlll.     DROOPING  GOOSEBERRY.     Ribcs  ciirvatiim. 
(226) 


THE  GOOSEBERRY  FAMILY.  227 

filaments,  hairy.  Pistil :  one.  Bcr/y  :  large  ;  globose,  containing  many  seeds 
and  showmg  at  its  summit  the  persistent  calyx  and  remnants  of  the  stamens. 
Leaves :  with  long,  pubescent  petioles  and  grcnving  in  clusters  along  the  rounded 
branches  ;  palmatcty  hve-lobcd  ;  toothed  ;  bright  green  and  lustrous  at  maturity. 
A  low  branching  shrub  with  slender,  recurved  spines  about  one-rpKu  tcr  of  an  inch 
long  ;  glabrous. 

Not  until  1895  was  this  gooseberry  described  by  Dr.  Small,  and  it  there- 
fore is  comparatively  a  new  species.  In  rocky  woods  it  thrives  best,  two  of 
its  known  haunts  being  the  slopes  of  Stone  Mountain,  in  Georgia,  and  Sand 
Mountain  in  Alabama.  With  its  highly  coloured  twigs,  and  bark  which  ex- 
foliates in  papery,  thin  sheets  it  is  perhaps  more  attractive  in  the  autumn  than 
at  any  other  season  of  the  year. 

R.  rotundifblium,  eastern  wild  gooseberry,  is  indigenous  along  the  moun- 
tains from  North  Carolina  to  Western  Massachusetts.  Its  sepals  are  not 
coloured  white  as  are  those  of  the  drooping  gooseberry,  but  are  greenish 
and  tinged  with  purple,  while  the  lobes  of  its  corolla  are  possibly  less  scale- 
like and  more  showy.  The  broadly  orbicular  leaves  are  lobed  and  toothed 
and  when  mature,  smooth  and  glossy.  The  berries  are  small.  It  is  not  a 
very  thorny  plant,  frequently  none  at  all  being  seen,  or  else  but  a  few  which 
are  short  and  straight. 

R.  Cynosbati,  wild  gooseberry  or  dogberry,  can  be  easily  distinguished 
from  all  others  by  its  prickly  fruit.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  one  that  children  know 
and  abundantly  gather  in  woods  of  the  mountainous  districts.  Often  pro- 
truding from  fissures  of  the  great  rocks  on  Grandfather  Mountain  we  saw, 
one  September,  its  shapely  palmately  lobed  and  toothed  leaves  and  very 
prickly  stem.     They  had  then  turned  to  an  intense  wine  colour. 

R.  prostratum^  fetid  currant,  bears  light  red  fruit,  which  is  glandular 
bristly.  It  may  further  be  known  by  its  racemes  of  numerous  flowers  and 
the  very  disagreeable  odour  it  exhales.  To  those  that  have  climbed  the 
mountain  summits  it  is  undoubtedly  familiar  and  through  our  range  is  only 
to  be  found  in  such  places. 


THE  WITCH=HAZEL  FAMILY. 

Ha  ma  luclidacccc. 

A  group  of  trees  and  shrubs  with  simple,  alternate  pctioled  leaves, 
andfloivers  which  grow  in  different  forms  of  clusters^  being  perfect^  or 
imperfect.     Perianth^  sometimes  wanting.     Fruit  ■•  a  woody  capsule. 


228  THE  WITCH-HAZEL  FAMILY. 

WITCH=HAZEL. 


FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Witch-hazel.  Broad;         %-}p/eet,  Texas^  Florida^  Nerv  Briins-     September-December, 

spreading.  zvick  and  ivest^vard.  Fruit:  November. 

Bark:  brown  ;  smooth,  exfoliating  in  thin  scales.  Inner  bark  :  purplish  red. 
Stiptiles  :  lanceolate.  Leaves  :  with  short  stout  petioles  ;  obovate  ;  pointed  or 
rounded  at  the  apex,  unequal  at  the  base  ;  repand  dentate  ;  frequently  entire  be- 
low the  middle.  Dull  green  above,  lighter  coloured  and  [jubescent  underneath  ; 
slightly  astringent.  Floiocrs  :  bright  yellow  ;  growing  in  axillary  clusters  on  short 
peduncles.  Calyx:  four  parted,  with  bractlets  underneath;  inner  surface  orange- 
brown,  pubescent.  Corolla  :  yellow,  of  four  almost  linear  petals,  often  twisted 
and  falling  with  the  stamens.  Fruit  :  a  woody  capsule,  with  black  or  dark  brown 
shining  seeds. 

Black  shadows  are  gathering  about  the  tree  stumps ;  their  boughs  are 
forming  an  upper  sea  of  leaden  colour  ;  little  ground  animals  are  carrying 
nuts  to  their  holes  ;  the  weather  is  pulling  itself  together  for  the  strong 
blasts  of  winter  when  the  witch-hazel  bush  opens  wide  its  buds  and  sends 
forth  masses  of  pale  yellow  bloom  as  timid  and  tender  looking  as  that  of 
the  spice  bush  in  earliest  spring.  Hardly  another  flower  can  then  be  found 
although  over  the  fences  quantities  of  the  bitter-sweet's  orange  and  scarlet 
fruit  is  clustered  and  a  belated  dandelion,  perhaps,  blooms  in  the  fields. 
The  fallen  oak-leaves  also  have  still  their  crisp  rustle.  This  is  as  well  the 
season  when  the  witch-hazel  does  its  best  shooting,  and  outstrips,  in  skill, 
all  others  of  the  plant  kingdom.  From  the  fruit  the  bony  seeds  are  shot 
forth  as  the  capsule's  elastic  tissues  burst  and  contract.  It  is  an  amusing 
process  to  watch,  provided,  of  course,  one  is  well  out  of  the  bombardment 
line.  That  the  ripe  fruit  and  the  flowers  appear  simultaneously  on  the 
tree  is  because  those  blossoms  which  came  into  blow  late  the  previous  sea- 
son are  very  slow  in  the  development  of  their  seeds  and  which  only  reach 
maturity  as  the  next  year's  blossoms  are  coming  forth.  On  the  slopes  of 
the  Alleghenies  the  witch-hazel  is  particularly  beautiful,  being  there  arbor- 
escent and  of  abundant  proportions. 

There  is  in  Europe  no  indigenous  Hamamelis  ;  the  tv/o  other  members 
of  the  genus  are  natives  of  Japan.  The  hazel  there  known,  however,  is  a 
relative  of  the  elm  and  has  clustered  about  it  many  superstitions  and 
much  folk-lore.  No  doubt  the  early  settlers  of  this  country,  seeing  some 
resemblance  between  the  leaves  of  the  two  plants,  christened  our  shrub  and 
transmitted  to  it  much  of  the  other's  reputation.  Still  there  are  those 
living  whose  faith  is  unbounded  in  the  power  of  its  twigs  to  locate  under- 
ground the  presence  of  water,  or  precious  metal.  One  has  but  to  meet 
with  the  credulous  soul  from  the  back  woods  to  hear  strange  tales  of  wonder 
brought  about  through  its  mysterious  potency. 


PLATE  LXIX.     FOTHERGILLA.     Folhcrgilla  major, 
(229) 


230  THE  WITCH-HAZEL  FAMILY. 

FOTHERGILLA.     {Plate  LXIX.) 

Fothergilla  major. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Witch-hazel.         Creaju-ivhiie.  J-'yagyant.  Gcoygia  to  I'irginia.  April. 

/7£7w^rj- ;  growing  in  large,  dense,  catkin-like  spikes  and  appearing  before  or 
as  the  leaves  untold.  Brads  :  often  three-lobed ;  pubescent.  Calyx ;  cam- 
panulate,  with  from  five  to  seven  obscure  lobes.  Fetals :  none.  Stameiis  : 
very  numerous ;  much  exserted.  Capsule :  two  lobed ;  pubescent ;  the  lobes 
pointed  with  the  slender  styles;  one  seed  in  each  valve.  Leaves:  with  short, 
pubescent  petioles  ;  broadly  oval,  blunt  or  short-pointed  at  the  apex  and  narrowed 
or  rounded  at  the  base  ;  usually  one-sided  ;  irregularly  dentate  or  crenate,  be- 
coming entire  towards  the  base ;  thick  ;  pubescent  at  least  when  young.  A 
shrub  two  to  five  feet  high. 

As  a  fluffy  mass  of  long  white  stamens  does  the  bloom  of  this  attractive 
shrub  present  itself ;  and  very  early  in  the  season  it  enlivens  the  mountain 
slopes,  or  glimmers  from  well  kept  grounds  where  it  is  cultivated.  In  the 
autumn  the  foliage  turns  to  brilliant  gold.  The  fruit,  not  unlike  that  of  the 
witch-hazel,  has  also  the  trait  of  bursting  open  and  ejecting  its  bony  seeds 
to  a  great  distance. 

F.  Carolina,  not  nearly  as  large  or  showy  a  plant  as  the  one  just  de- 
scribed, bears  its  flowers  in  small  dense  spikes,  seldom  more  than  an  inch 
long.  They  open  when  the  leaves  are  very  young.  These  latter  have  ovate 
and  pubescent  stipules  which  fall  quite  early.  In  moist  soil  and  thickets 
it  thrives  best  and  as  far  southward  as  Florida. 

SWEET    GUM.    STAR=LEAVED  GUM.   BILSTED. 
ALLIGATOR  TREE.     {Plate  LXX.) 

Llqtiiddmbar  styraciflua. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Witch-hazel. 

Ro  linden. 

6o-\^o  feet. 

Florida  and  Missouri 
northward. 

AJ>ril,  J/ay. 

Bar/e:  reddish  brown  ;  very  rough.  BrancJilets  :  usually  covered  with  corky 
ridges.  Stipules  :  lanceolate ;  entire.  Leaves  :  with  slender  petioles ;  rounded 
in  outline;  cordate  at  the  base  ;  palmately-lobed,  the  lobes  from  five  to  seven 
usually  five  ;  finely  serrate  ;  brilliant,  smooth  and  lustrous  above;  ribs  tufted  in 
the  angles  below'.  Odour :  pleasant,  when  bruised.  Fhnvers^ :  monoecious ; 
the  staminate  ones  growing  in  a  dense  terminal  raceme  ;  the  pistillate  ones  grow- 
ing in  an  axillary,  peduncled  head.  Frii/l :  a  hanging  globose  ball  _of_  woody 
pointed  pods  which  open  and  release  the  few  good  seeds  contained  within  each 
one. 

There  are  few  indeed  of  our  native  trees  which  can  rival  in  beauty  and 
symmetry  of  outline  the  sweet  gum.  As  it  occurs  through  the  forests  its 
character  is  quite  distinct  from  all  others,  only  resembling  somewhat  in  its 
rounded  crown,  the  sugar  maple.     Through  the  Alleghany  ridges  it  is  not 


PLATE   LXX.     SWEET  GUM.     Liqnidamlw  sfyrjcijliu. 


232  THE  WITCH-HAZEL  FAMILY. 

so  frequently  seen  as  in  the  Mississippi  basin,  where  it  attains  to  a  great  size. 
Usually  it  borders  streams  and  swamps,  or  grows  in  springy,  low  places 
through  woods.  About  the  star-shaped  foliage  there  is  in  summer  a  deep, 
lustrous  and  wholesome  look,  while  in  the  autumn  it  becomes  brilliant  and 
gay.  On  some  of  the  trees  the  leaves  turn  on  their  upper  surfaces  to  deep 
purple,  remaining  green  underneath,  but  more  often  the  whole  foliage  be- 
comes a  deep  vinous  red.  And  year  after  year  it  is  interesting  to  watch 
how  constant  the  individual  trees  are  to  the  colour  they  have  chosen. 
Through  the  winter  the  corky  wings  which  are  produced  on  the  young 
branches  make  the  tree  a  conspicuous  individual. 

It  was  Linnseus  who  named  the  Liquidambar  and  this  he  did  from  the 
liquid  exudation  of  its  bark  which  is  of  amber  colour.  As  this  juice  hardens 
it  forms  a  fragrant  gum  often  called  copal.  This  herbalists  collect,  it  being 
useful  as  a  substitute  for  storax  in  external  applications,  or  in  the  treatment 
of  catarrh.  The  leaves  too  when  bruised  have  a  pleasant,  resinous  fragrance 
and  are  rich  in  tannin. 


THE  PLANE=TREE  FAHILY. 

Platanacecr. 

BUTTON=WOOD,     PLANE=TREE.      BUTTON=BALL  TREE. 

Plate  I  n  Its  occiden  talis. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Plane-tree. 

Sj>r 

eaditig:  broad. 

bo-x^o  feet. 

Texas  ami  Florida 
to  Maine. 

April,  May. 

Outer  bark  :  dark  brown;  thin,  ])eeling  freely  and  showing  the  ])olished.  white 
inner  bark.  Buds:  concealed  throughout  the  summer  under  the  hollow  base  of 
the  leaf  petioles.  Leaves :  with  downy  petioles  ;  orbicular  with  taper-pointed  apex 
and  squared  or  cordate  base.  The  edges  coarsely  toothed  or  often  three  to  five 
lobed;  the  sinuses  between  them  rounded;  densely  pubescent,  becoming  glabrate 
in  age.  Ftoivers  :  small,  in  round  heads;  monoecious.  Fruit:  growing  closely  in 
solitary  round  balls  which  hang  from  the  ends  of  long,  wiry  peduncles.  They  be- 
come dry  and  remain  on  the  trees  through  the  winter,  or  until  their  seeds  are 
scattered  by  the  wind. 

In  moist  woods  or  bordering  streams  where  the  cover  is  formed  of 
millions  and  millions  of  hanging  leaves,  some  fantastic  in  outline,  others 
heart-shaped,  or  rounded,  or  again  oval  or  shield-shaped,  and  some  are 
crumpled  and  others  smooth  and  lustrous  ;  there  broadly  spread,  are  also  the 
ruggedly  formed  ones  of  the  button-wood,  and  partly  hidden  by  their  wav- 
ing masses  are,  perhaps,  its  quaint  balls  of  friiit.     As  the  celebrated  Planes 


THE  PLANE-TREE  FAMILY.  233 

of  the  old  country,  the  tree  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  temperate  zone,  it 
growing  in  fact,  to  a  great  size  and  recognised  to  be  the  largest  tree  of 
east  America.  By  it  the  characteristics  of  its  family  are  well  illustrated,  for 
there  is  but  one  genus  and  of  the  seven  species  recognised  the  button-wood  is 
the  only  one  represented  in  the  southeastern  states.  Over  the  United  States 
it  is  a  familiar  sight  as  near  the  borders  of  streams,  or  by  small  springs  and 
brooks  it  raises  its  large  branches,  often  silvery  white  through  the  peculiar- 
ity of  the  outer  bark  in  peeling  and  showing  the  polished  inner  one.  Near 
the  bases  of  the  trees,  however,  it  does  not  so  freely  exfoliate.  Perhaps  the 
greater  number  of  people  know  this  tree  as  the  "  sycamore,"  a  name  errone- 
ously applied,  and  which  when  properly  used  belongs  to  trees  not  indigen- 
ous to  America. 


THE  ROSE  FAHILY. 

RosacciT. 

Represented  in  our  range  by  trees,  shrubs  or  herbs  with  simple^  or 
compound,  a/teniate  leaves  and  zvhich  bear  regular,  perfect  or  ?-arely 
dioecious  flowers  ;  their  petals  being  mostly  rounded,  and  equal  in  number 
to  the  lobes  of  the  calyx,  or  altogether  wanting. 

NINEBARK. 

Opuldster  opulifdlius. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Rose.  White  or  purplish.         Scentless.  Georgia  to  Quebec  June.,  July. 

and  westward. 

Ftcnvers  :  rather  small  ;  growing  on  pubescent  pedicels  in  rounded,  many  floweerd 
terminal  corymbs.  Calyx  :  campanulale  ;  persistent  ;  with  five  reflexed,  glabrous 
or  slightly  pubescent  lobes.  Petals  :  five  ;  rounded.  Slamc//s  :  numerous  ;  ex- 
serted.  Pods  :  inflated,  three  to  five,  sharply  tii)ped.  Leaves  :  simple  ;  with  slen- 
der petioles,  broadly  ovate  or  orbicular,  and  palinately  three  to  five  lobed,  unevenly 
serrate  ;  bright  green  ;  smooth.  A  branching  shrub,  two  to  ten  feet  high,  with 
glabrous  twigs. 

Of  the  rose  family  there  are  many  children,  some  wildly  gay  and  beauti- 
ful, others  of  botanical  interest  only,  and  again  others  that  are  queer,  very 
queer.  The  ninebark,  however,  is  one  of  the  large,  rather  gawky  ones. 
Its  bloom  is  not  very  pretty,  but  it  redeems  itself  from  the  commonplace, 
as,  in  fact,  do  many  plants,  by  the  beauty  of  the  ripening  pods.  They, 
hanging  in  quantities  at  the  ends  of  its  long,  curving  branches,  produce 
something  the  same  effect  as  the  fruit  of  a  species  of  opulus  or  cranberry- 


234  I^HE  ROSE  FAMILY. 

tree,  an  incident  suggested  perhaps  by  the  shrub's  generic  name.  The  com- 
mon name  which  would  naturally  recall  one  of  the  hydrangeas,  is  in  ref- 
erence to  a  trick  of  the  bark  in  peeling  not  nine  but  many  times  into 
dilapidated  looking  stripes.  Along  river  banks  or  in  rocky  places  the  shrub 
selects  its  natural  home.     It  also  does  well  and  is  desirable  in  cultivation. 


VIRGINIA  SPIR/EA. 

Spirka  Virginidiia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Rose.  White.  Scetiiless.  IFest  Firghiia  to  Juiu\ 

North  Carotitta. 

Flcnvers :  perfect;  growing  on  pedicels  in  teimina],  compound  corymbs.  Calyx  : 
five-lobed  ;  persistent.  Pe/a/s :  Rve,  short-clawed  and  inserted  on  the  calyx. 
Sta^neus  :  numerous.  Leaves :  simple,  with  slender  petioles  and  often  two  small 
early-falling  stipules  at  their  bases  ;  long  oblong,  or  oblanceolate,  bluntly  pointed 
at  the  apex  and  tapering,  or  wedge-shaped  at  the  base  ;  almost  entire  ;  thin  ; 
bright  green  above,  paler  and  glaucous  underneath.  A  shrub  with  branches  one 
to  four  feet  long  ;  glabrous. 

What  we  expect  from  the  spirseas  in  the  flowering  season  is  masses  of 
dainty,  light  blossoms  packed  snugly  together.  This  one  of  the  group  is 
shade  loving  and  grows  closely  to  damp  rocks  to  there  produce  its  bloom 
at  the  end  of  long,  wand-like  branches.  Perhaps  we  are  a  little  disappointed 
with  it,  and  think  it  rather  poor-looking  in  comparison  with  some  of  its 
more  common  relatives.  There  is  satisfaction,  however,  in  knowing  it  to 
be  a  rare  plant. 

S.  tomejitosa,  steeple-bush,  or  hardback,  is  a  most  familiar  sight  as 
through  moist  meadows  and  near  swamp  borders  it  raises  in  the  late 
summer  its  compact,  steeple-shaped  panicle  of  peach-blow  pink.  And  very 
fleecy  and  small  are  its  numerous  flowers  which  produce  this  unusual 
opaque-looking  colour.  The  plant  stands  erectly  and  would  in  any  case  be 
distinguishable  among  the  spir^as  by  the  dense,  woolly  tomentum  which 
covers  the  underside  of  the  leaves,  its  stem  and  short  pedicels. 

5.  salicifblia,  meadow-sweet  with  its  small  white  or  pinkish-white 
bloom,  is  a  charming  individual  and  possibly  the  most  widely  distributed  of 
the  spiraeas.  Concerning  the  forms  passing  under  this  name  there  is  now, 
on  the  part  of  some  botanists,  a  desire  to  interpret  the  true  Spiraea  salici- 
folia  as  a  native  of  Asia  and  Europe,  and  to  regard  the  American  plants 
under  the  names  Spiraea  alba,  the  narrow-leaved  form,  and  Spiraea  latifolia, 
the  broad  leaved  form.  At  the  present  time  two  distinct  forms  of  plants 
through  our  range  are  referred  either  directly,  or  varietally  to  Spiraea  salici- 
folia.  The  one  is  a  narrow-leaved  representative,  its  foliage  being  broadly 
or  narrowly  lanceolate,  acute,  finely  and  sharply  serrate  and  dark   green  ; 


THE  ROSE  FAMILY. 


235 


the  plant  being  further  characterised  by  its  densely  tomentose  calyxes, 
pedicels  and  branchlets.  The  other  has  obovate,  or  elliptical  leaves,  much 
broader,  therefore,  and  usually  shorter  than  those  of  the  preceding  plant. 
Moreover  they  are  scarcely  acute,  dentate-serrate  and  of  a  yellowish  green. 
For  further  differences  the  inllorescence  of  this  last  form  is  nearly  glabrous. 

GOAT'S  BEARD. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME    OF    BLOOM 

/w..v. 

ll'/titi: 

Sccntii-ss. 

J^Iissonri and  Ceo rgia 
northivard. 

M'ly-July. 

Fl miners  :  minute;  dioecious,  growing  densely  in  panicled  spikes.  Calyx:  five 
lobed.  Corolla:  with  five  rosaceous  petals.  Stamens:  numerous,  exsertcd ; 
filaments,  thread-like.  Pistils:  mostly  three.  Follicles:  glabrous,  containing 
usually  two  minute  seeds.  Leaves  :  with  long  petioles,  twice  or  thrice  pinnate, 
the  divisions  with  from  three  to  seven  ovate,  or  lanceolate  leaflets,  long  pointed 
at  the  apex,  and  cordate  or  tapering  at  the  base  ;  sessile  or  with  short  petiolules; 
bright  green  and  glabrous,  sharply  and  doubly  serrate  ;  thin.  Stems :  erect,  some- 
what branched,  smooth. 

Very  numerous  minute  blossoms  has  the  wind  to  ruffle  when  it  catches 
in  a  gust  the  feathery,  panicled  and  white  spray  spread  by  this  striking  look- 
ing goat's  beard.  Not  all,  however,  of  these  plants  cast  about  the  same 
light,  for  the  pistillate  and  staminate  flowers,  being  borne  in  two  house- 
holds, show  necessarily  their  points  of  differences.  Over  a  good  part  of  the 
country,  as  well  as  in  the  south,  the  plant  seeks  its  home  in  woodland 
places,  and  cannot  be  well  confused,  for  the  only  other  one  of  the  genus  is 
a  native  of  Japan. 


AMERICAN  IPECAC. 

Porlcrdnlhus  slipulatus. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Rose. 

White  or  pink  tinted. 

Seenttess. 

Louisiana  and 
Alabama  nortliivard. 

Moy-J  iiiy. 

Floioers  :  growing  sparingly  in  spreading,  terminal  panicles.  Calyx  :  cylindric, 
with  five  short  teeth,  persistent.  Petals  :\\(t.,  oblong,  or  linear-lanceolate,  nar- 
rowed into  claws.  Stamens:  ten  to  twenty,  included.  Leaves:  mostly  three  foli- 
ate, at  least  the  uppermost  sessile,  with  foliaceous,  broad  stipules  ;  deeply  toothed 
and  incised;  yellowish  green,  somewhat  pubescent.  Stems:  erect;  simple  or 
branched  ;  glabrous. 

Somehow  we  have  fallen  into  the  way  of  thinking  that  plants  throw  the 
whole  of  their  spirit  and  energy  into  their  flowers  ;  but  often  we  see  it  gleam- 
ing from  such  parts  as  highly  coloured  stems,  or  again  in  showy  bracts 
which  underlie  the  bloom.  More  decorative  and  constant  indeed  are  the 
bright  red  stems  of  the  Ipecac,  when  seen  amid  the  wood's  tangled  growth. 


236  THE  ROSE  FAMILY. 

than   its  rather    scattered   and  evasive   bloom.     Its   leaves   have   a  bitter 
taste,  something  like  tea. 

P.  trifoliatus,  Indian  physic,  or  Bowman's-root  while  very  similar  to  its 
relative,  is  more  generally  smooth  and  has  entire,  less  conspicuous  sti- 
pules. Its  leaves  also  are  more  regularly  serrate  along  the  margins,  and  the 
flowers,  which  are  larger,  do  not  grow  quite    so  sparingly  in  the  panicles. 

PURPLE=FLOWERINQ    RASPBERRY. 

Riibiis  odoratiis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Rose.  Pur/<lis/i  phik.  Fragimit.  Tennessee  and  Georoia  June,  July. 

nort/i'iva?d. 

Flowers  :  large,  occasionally  two  inches  broad  and  growing  in  terminal  corymbs. 
Calyx  :  with  five  lanceolate,  long-pointed  lobes  covered  with  a  sticky  pnbescence. 
Corolla:  with  five  spreading,  rosaceous,  petals.  Stamens  and  pistils  :  numerous. 
Frnit:  red,  falling  from  the  receptacle.  Leaves:  large,  simple,  with  pubescent 
petioles  and  small  lanceolate  stipules,  palmately  three  to  five  lobed,  cordate  at  the 
base,  the  middle  lobe  considerably  longer  than  the  others  ;  netted-veined,  serrate, 
and  pubescent  along  the  veins  on  the  under  side.  A  shrubby,  branching  plant, 
the  stems  covered  with  a  glandular  pubescence. 

As  late  in  the  season  as  September  there  lingers  in  bloom  through  the 
mountains  of  the  Appalachian  system,  and,  in  fact,  in  many  other  places, 
this  noble  raspberry.  But  especially  as  we  travelled  through  this  district  we 
saw  it  again  and  again  from  mountain  roads,  or  paths  where  it  throve  luxu- 
riously in  cool,  rocky  places.  In  bloom  and  fruit  often  at  the  same  time,  it 
appeared  strikingly  handsome  as  its  great  leaves  boldly  stood  out  from 
jungles  of  surrounding  greens,  all  kept  bright  and  vivid  by  frequent  rains 
and  favourable  soil.  With  the  lightest  touch  the  fruit  fell  freely  into  the 
hand  ;  a  delicious  morsel  especially  when  the  road  is  long  and  dusty. 

BLACK  RASPBERRY.  THIMBLE  BERRY.  BLACK  CAP. 

Riibus  occideiilalis. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME    OF    BLOO 

Rose. 

White. 

Scentless. 

MissoJtrl  and  Georgia 
nortJiivard. 

May,  June. 
Fruit:  July. 

Flowers  :  rather  small,  growing  in  terminal,  compact  corymbs,  and  with  pedi- 
dels covered  with  many  small  pnckles.  Calyx:  persistent;  with  five  lanceolate, 
pointed  lobes.  Petals:  five;  rounded.  Print:  purplish  black;  glaucous; 
hemispheric.  Leaves:  compound,  with  long,  slightly  j^rickly  stalks  and  early 
falling  stipules  ;  three  to  seven  foliate,  the  leaflets  ovate,  acuminate;  somewhat 
doubly  serrate  ;  yellow-green  above,  lighter  below  and  covered  thickly  with  a 
white  pubescence.     Stems :  very  long  ;  prickly;  reddish  brown  and  glaucous. 

In  common  with  the  fruit  of  the  beautiful  purple-flowering  raspberry  and 
the  species  which  follows,  these  little  black  caps  have  the  trait  of  falling 
readily  from  their  receptacles  when  they  are  ripe.     Probably  we  all  know 


THE  ROSE  FAMILY.  237 

that  they  do  this,  quite  as  well  as  we  vaguely  recall  their  misty  bloom,  and 
yet,  few  may  have  stopped  to  think  that  this  is  a  strong  point  of  distinction 
between  them  and  the  blackberries,  the  fruits  of  which  cling  always  to  the 
receptacle, 

R.  sirigbsus,  wild  red  raspberry,  has  bristly,  light  brownish  stems,  quite 
free  from  any  bloom,  aiul  which  are  so  branched  that  the  plant  appears 
very  shrubby.  Of  the  three  to  seven  foliate  leaves  a  very  pretty  feature  is 
the  dense  silvery  pubescence  lining  them  on  the  under  side,  while  the 
bright  red  fruit  has  also  a  faint,  white  bloom.  From  these  two  species  of 
raspberries  many  of  our  cultivated  ones  have  been  produced. 

BLACKBERRY. 

Riibiis  CcDiadhisis. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Rose. 

White. 

Scentless. 

SoiitJicrn  A  llcg;hnnics  and 
north-ivard. 

May,  June. 
Fruit:   August. 

Fhnoers :  growing  loosely  in  leafy  racemes  with  slender,  ascending  and 
pubescent  pedicels  with  linear-lanceolate  bracts  at  their  bases.  Calyx:  with 
five,  lanceolate,  pubescent  sepals.  Corolla  :  with  five  rounded,  rosaceous  petals. 
Stamens  :  numerous.  Leaves  :  three  to  five  foliate  with  long  petioles,  pubescent 
when  young.  Leaflets:  oval  or  ovate  ;  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and  either 
rounded  or  narrowed  at  the  base;  dentate,  often  doubly  so;  thin,  glabrous  on 
both  sides.  A  shrub,  over  three  feet  high  and  at  times  ten  feet.  Stems  : 
ascending,  mostly  without  thorns,  richly  coloured. 

"  Blackberries  are  green  when  they  are  red." 

An  interesting  bit  of  history  in  connection  with  this  very  handsome 
blackberry  is  that,  through  the  misapplication  of  the  name,  it  had  been  lost 
to  science,  and  was  only  rediscovered  in  1890,  and  then  at  an  altitude  of 
3,500  feet  in  the  mountains  of  western  Virginia.  Dr.  Britton  named  it  in 
honour  of  the  collector,  Rubus  Millspaughii.  As  interpreted  by  Professor 
Brainerd,  this  is  the  same  species  which  LinucEus  in  1753  christened  Rubus 
Canadensis,  the  specimens  of  which  had  been  collected  by  the  Swedish  tra- 
veller Kalm  from  the  French  settlements  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Lake 
Champlain.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  common  individual  through  high  dry  places  in 
New  England  and  the  Adirondacks,  as  well  as  in  the  southern  mountains 
and  was  thus  the  first  of  the  American  blackberries  to  be  recognised  by 
scientists.  The  fruits  it  bears,  also,  are  quite  the  most  delightfully  flavoured 
of  all  the  wild  blackberries. 

R.  nigrobaccus,  high  bush  blackberry,  stands  uprightly,  and  is  abundantly 
found  along  waysides  and  through  clearings.  Its  broadly  oval  fruit,  with 
persistent  stamens  and  calyx  at  its  base  ;  prickly  stems  and  pubescent  or 
glandular  pubescent  foliage  ;  and  its  rather  large  white  flowers  growing  on 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

Rose. 

White. 

Scentless. 

Louisiana  and  Virginia 
northward. 

238  THE  ROSE  FAMILY. 

bristly  pedicels  in  a  spreading  raceme,  proclaim  the  species.  In  most  of 
the  older  botanies  this  plant  is  described  under  the  name  Rubus  villosus, 
but  it  is  now  conceded  that  the  scientific  name  here  shown  is  the  older 
and  true  one. 

R.  cuneifblitis,  knee-high  blackberry,  or  sand  blackberry  with  its  numerous 
prickles,  can  also  be  known  by  its  rather  small,  obovate  leaflets,  densely 
whitish  woolly  underneath  ;  and  which  although  finely  serrate  at  their  apices 
become  entire  towards  their  bases.  The  berries  borne  by  the  plant  are 
large,  while  it  is  erect,  shrubby  in  habit  and  almost  exclusively  found  in 
sandy  soil. 


COMMON  DEWBERRY.     LOW  RUNNING  BLACKBERRY. 

Rub  us  villbsiis. 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

June,  July. 

Flowers  :  about  one  inch  broad,  solitary,  or  a  few  growing  at  the  end  of  lateral, 
leafy  shoots.  Calyx:  with  lobes,  conspicuously  woolly  on  the  edges.  Corolla: 
with  five  spreading,  obovate  petals.  Sta7Jiens :  numerous.  Fruit:  large;  black. 
Leaves :  three  to  seven  foliate,  with  ]Hibescent,  slightly  prickly  petioles  and  linear 
stipules  at  their  bases.  Leaflets  :  ovate  or  oval,  short  stalked,  or  sessile  ;  coarsely 
and  sharply  serrate  ;  sparingly  pubescent  underneath  ;  firm.  Stem  :  trailing  ; 
naked,  or  with  numerous  small,  reflexed  spines. 

Although  for  over  a  century  the  common  dewberry  has  been  in  error 
passing  under  the  scientific  name  of  Rubus  Canadensis,  and  as  such  is  des- 
cribed in  all  but  the  most  recent  of  our  literature,  it  has  now  had  rightfully 
restored  to  it  the  original  name  of  Rubus  villosus  which  long  ago  was  be- 
stowed by  Alton,  an  English  botanist.  It  is  a  trailing  species  of  dry,  or 
sandy  soil  and  often  hugs  the  ground  so  closely  that  one  is  not  aware  of  its 
existence  until  the  ankles  become  entangled  in  its  meshes. 

R.  hispidus,  running  swamp  blackberry,  also  trails  along  the  ground 
mostly  in  low  wet  places,  and  has  branches  which  are  more  or  less  sprinkled 
with  small  bristles.  The  fruit  is  small  and  sour.  Until  late  into  the  winter 
the  delicate  three-foliate  leaves  are  charming,  displaying  then  their  autumn 
colours  of  crimson,  scarlet  and  purple. 

R.  trivialis,  southern  dewberry,  low  bush  blackberry,  has  an  intensely 
prickly  stem  with  interspersed  bristles  which  give  to  it  a  purplish  hue.  Its 
bloom  is  large,  the  sepals  being  conspicuously  reflexed,  and  the  leaflets  thick 
and  persistent.  The  rather  large  fruit  growing  on  leafy,  prickly  pedicels  has 
a  juicy  and  agreeable  taste, 


THE  ROSE  FAMILY.  239 


VIRGINIA  STRAWBERRY. 

F7'agaria  V^irginiana. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Rose. 

White. 

S7l'fCt. 

Louisiana  and  Floriiia 
to  Nc7v  Brunswick. 

A/>rii-Jun,: 

Flozvers  :  growing  with  long,  often  recurved,  bractecl  pedicels  on  hairy  scapes. 
Calyx  :  persistent,  with  five  pointed  lobes  surrounded  underneath  by  five  pointed 
bracts,  and  being  scattered  with  silky  white  hairs.  Petals  :  five,  obovate,  rounded, 
with  very  short  claws.  Stamens:  numerous.  Fruit:  an  ovoid,  pulpy  and  scarlet 
lierrv.  Leaves:  from  the  base  ;  tufted;  with  very  long,  densely-hairy  petioles 
and  siieathed  with  membraneous  stipules;  three-foliate.  Leaflets:  obovate, 
roundjd  at  the  apex,  the  terminal  one  wedge-shaped  at  the  base,  dentate,  becom- 
ing entire;  ciliate  and  having  both  surfaces  scattered  with  silky,  white  hairs. 
Scape  :  erect,  hairy,  naked. 

We  all  know  the  wild  strawberry  plants  and  the  simple  loveliness  of  their 
tlowersas  they  blow  among  the  more  common  herbs  of  the  pasture.  Unob- 
trusively they  live  their  lives  near  those  in  sympathy  with  them  ;  the  lively- 
yellow  fine  fingers  and  the  white  and  purple  violets.  All  of  their  blossoms 
are  as  wild  and  sweet  as  any  wildings,  but  a  little  gathered  bunch  of  them 
droops  lamentably  in  the  hand.  Still  these  plants  have  been  extensively 
carried  away  for  cultivation.  Close  to  the  ground  they  cling  spreading 
themselves  by  runners.  Thus  they  travel  and  increase  their  numbers.  It 
has,  in  fact,  been  claimed  that  through  this  habit  of  straying,  the  "  straberry," 
as  in  earlier  Anglo-Saxon  it  was  spelled,  received  its  name. 

In  spite  of  the  skill  which  we  know  to  have  been  expended  in  producing 
strawberries  of  great  size  and  excellence,  it  must  still  be  conceded  that  they 
are  lacking  in  much  of  the  sweet  fragrance  and  lusciousness  of  these  small 
wild  ones. 


THREE=TOOTHED    CINQUEFOIL. 

Potoitilla  tridetttata. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Rose. 

White. 

Scentless. 

High  A  llegh  a  n  ies 
and  northward. 

June,  Juiy. 

Flo7uers  :  small  ;  growing  in  terminal  and  northward  cymes  and  having  bractcd 
and  pubescent  pedicels.  Calyx:  persistent;  with  five  lanceolate  pubescent  lobes 
which  alternate  with  an  under  row  of  five  bracts.  Petals  :  five  ;  obovate  ;  con- 
siderably larger  than  the  sepals.  Stamens  :  numerous.  Leases  :  three-foliate, 
with  lanceolate  stipules;  those  clustered  about  the  base  with  long  petioles  and 
oblanceolate  leaflets,  rounded,  or  squared  at  the  apex  where  they  show  three, 
rounded  teeth;  dark  green  and  lustrous  above, lighter  below  and  hairy.  Stem 
leaves  often  entire  and  becoming  small  and  bract-like.  Stem:  two  to  ten  inches 
high,  shrubby,  branched,  pubescent. 

Through  our  range  it  is  only  on  the  bare,  rocky  summits  of  such  high 


240  THE  ROSE  FAMILY. 

mountains  as  Pisgah,  Craggy,  Satula  and  Grandfather  that  this  little  plant 
becomes  conspicuous.  And  perhaps  it  has  chosen  these  haunts  because 
comparatively  few  little  ground  plants  are  there  to  detract  from  its  sprightly 
form  and  gay  white  flowers.  This  species  is  also  known  under  the  name 
Sibbaldiopsis  tridentata,  and  is  probably  more  correctly  regarded  as  a  sepa- 
rate genus  from  the  little  plant  described  below,  which  is  a  true  Potentilla. 

P.  Canade7isis,  cinquefoil,  or  five  finger,  is  the  little  individual  common 
from  Georgia  to  Quebec  and  familiar  to  all  when  found  in  old  fields  and 
sterile  land  by  the  side  of  the  wild  strawberry.  Its  solitary,  quaint  flowers 
are  yellow  and  grow  on  long,  thread-like  pedicels ;  have  their  lateral  leaflets 
divided  to  the  base,  and  form  therefore  the  supposed  resemblance  to  five 
human  fingers.  Usually  the  plant  is  low  and"  spreads  itself  by  runners. 
Herbalists  collect  it  when  in  flower. 


WHITE  AVENS. 

Geum  Canadense. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Rose.  White.  Scentless.  Missouri  and  Georgia  May-August. 

and  ttortkzvard. 

Flowers  :  rather  small  ;  growing  on  pubescent  and  bracted  pedicels  in  loose 
cymes.  Calyx  :  persistent,  with  five  lanceolate  reflexed  lobes  and  five  small  inter- 
mediate bracts.  Petals-:  rounded,  often  shorter  than  the  sepals.  Stamens:  nu- 
merous ;  filaments,  thread-like.  Fruit:  a  rounded  head  of  prickly  carpels.  Leaves: 
those  from  the  base  with  long  hairy  petioles,  lobed,  three-foliate  or  pinnately 
divided,  the  terminal  leaflet  broadly  ovate,  the  others  narrower  oval,  or  obovate  in 
outline,  unevenly  serrate,  or  dentate,  scattered  on  the  upper  surface  with  fine  white 
hairs  and  pubescent  underneath.  Stevi  leaves  :  short  petioled  or  sessile,  three  to 
five  lobed  or  divided,  arising  from  a  pair  of  small  dentate  stipules.  Stem  :  erect ; 
branching  near  the  summit. 

In  shaded  places  there  must  verily  be  a  dearth  of  bloom  before  one 
would  linger  long  by  the  white  avens.  For  it  cannot  be  gainsaid  that  it  is 
rather  unattractive,  with  flowers  too  small  to  show  much,  and  leaves  so 
irregular  and  variously  formed  as  greatly  to  disturb  the  composure.  It  is 
one  of  those  individuals,  however,  that  late  in  the  autumn  takes  the  wanderer 
in  the  woods  unawares,  and  fastens  the  hooked  style  of  its  burrs  securely  on 
his  clothing,  no  matter  whether  its  hiding  place  is  seen,  or  not.  It  is  then 
no  easy  matter  to  pick  them  off,  but  the  slower  the  process,  as  one  travels 
along,  and  the  greater  the  distances  apart  that  they  are  thrown,  the  better  is 
its  service  done,  and  the  more  extended  becomes  the  plant's  future  holdings 
of  the  soil. 


THK  ROSK  FAMILY. 


241 


QUEEN-0F=THE=PRAIR1ES. 

Ubnaria    rubra. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE 

Kose.  Pinfc  or  purple.  Frat^idiit.         Kentucky  niui  Georgia 

to  Pennsylvania 
and  ivest^vard. 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 
June^July. 


Funvers :    small  ;    growing     in    open,     cymose     panicles.      Calyx:    five-lol)efl. 


Corolla:  witli  five  rounded,  clawed  j)etals.  Slanu-iis 
compound  with  long,  smooth  petioles  and  large, 
foliaceous  stipules,  the  lateral  leaflets  sessile,  all 
palmately  three  to  five  lobed,  or  divided,  the  sec- 
tions being  pointed,  sharply  and  doubly  serrate  and 
incised  ;  the  terminal  one  much  larger  than  the 
others;  bright  green  and  mostly  glabrous.  Capsule: 
small;  tipped  with  a  little  beak.  Stems:  tall, 
erect;  branched;  glabrous. 

Jostling  among,  and  mingling  with  the  pro- 
cession of  flowers,  that  no  waning  in  its  beauty 
may  be  felt,  the  queen-of-the-prairies  takes  its 
place  in  early  June.  And  every  inch  a  queen 
among  flowers  the  plant  looks  when  its  brilliant 
spray  is  fully  blown.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
lovely  lights  of  the  prairies,  and  also  illumines 
many  a  strip  of  moist  ground.  It  seems  to-  have 
been  thought  that  its  leaf  segments  resemble 
the  elm's  foliage,  and  the  generic  name  is  in 
reference  to  this  idea ;  the  likeness,  however, 
it  must  be  confessed,  is  not  sufliciently  strong 
to  present  itself  to  every  mind.  Through  the 
east  sometimes  the  plant  is  seen  as  an  escape 
from  cultivation. 


numerous. 


lai 


g^-. 


Ul in  aria  rubra. 


Ncviusia  Alaba?nensis.    {Plate  LXXI.) 


FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE 

Kose.  Greenish  zvliite.  Scentless.  Alabama. 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 
April,   May. 

FloT.vers :  showy;  growing  singly  or  in  lateral,  leafy  clusters,  on  filiform, 
pubescent  pedicels.  Calyx  :  with  five  spreading,  lanceolate,  pointed  and  incised 
sepals.  Corolla:  none.  Slai/iois  :  numerous  ;  exserted.  Filavicnts  :  thread-like. 
Leaves  :  simple,  alternate  ;  with  short,  pubescent  petioles  and  bristle-like  stipules, 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded  at  the  base,  doubly  serrate  ;  bright  green  and 
glabrous  above,  slightly  pubescent  underneath  along  the  ribs.  A  shrub  two  to 
five  feet  high  with  reddish,  leafy  twigs. 

Rare  even  among  the  rarest  plants  is  Neviusia  Alabamensis  ;  for  at  only 
one  place  in  the  world  is  it  known  to  grow  in  a  wild  state,  and  perhaps  from 
there,  before  many  years  have  passed,  it  will  have  altogether  vanished.     On 


PLATE  LXXI.     Neviiisia  Alabamensis. 
(242) 


THE  ROSE  FAMILY.  243 

the  banks  of  the  Black  Warrior  river  at  Tuscaloosa,  Ala.,  it  was  first  dis- 
covered, and  upon  the  specimen  sent  to  him,  Dr.  Gray  formed  a  new  genus 
of  the  Rose  family,  it  being  quite  distinct  in  characteristics  from  even  those 
members  to  which  it  was  most  closely  related.  But  in  naming  the  plant 
and  dedicating  it  to  Rev.  R.  U.  Nevius,  Dr.  Ciray  was  unfortunately  in 
error.  It  is,  in  fact,  only  recently  that  it  has  been  made  known  by  Mr. 
Charles  Louis  Pollard  that  it  was  really  first  found  by  Professor  \V.  S. 
Wymans,  who,  although  in  the  company  of  Mr.  Nevius  on  the  eventful  oc- 
casion, proceeded  him  some  distance  and  made  the  discovery  when  quite 
alone.  The  illustration  shows  it  as  it  occurs  in  cultivation  at  Biltmore  where 
indeed  it  is  very  hardy.  Its  flower-clusters  are  beautiful,  and  most  effective 
are  its  long  white  or  creamy-white  stamens. 

TALL    HAIRY  AGRinONY. 

Ag7-imbnia  hirsiita . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Rose.  Orangc-yelloiv.  Like  apricots.  North  Carolina  June- August. 

iiorthivard. 

Flozvers:  small  ;  perfect  ;  regular,  growing  closely  in  slender,  hairy  racemes. 
Calyx  :  obconic,  with  five  ])ointed  lobes,  covered  with  hooked  bristles.  Petals: 
five,  rounded.  Stamens  :  five  to  fifteen.  Fruit :  top-shaped  ;  bristly.  Leaves  : 
large,  with  long,  hairy  petioles  and  two  leaf-like  stipules  at  their  bases  ;  com- 
pound ;  odd-pinnate.  Leaflets:  five  to  seven,  oblong,  or  elliptical;  sessile  and 
coarsely  serrate  ;  bright  green  above;  margins,  and  veins  underneath  ciliate,  thin  ; 
smaller  leaflets  occurring  between  the  pairs.     Ste?n :  two  to  five  feet  high,  hairy. 

This,  the  most  common  of  our  native  species  of  agrimony,  is  one  of  the 
homely,  old  time  flowers  which  seem  to  exhale  certain  scenes  and  associa- 
tions. Our  grandmothers  knew  its  haunts  amid  woods  and  thickets  and 
sought  it  to  gather  the  leaves  that  they  might  make  them  into  a  tea-like 
beverage,  or  at  least  lengthen  out  the  orthodox  supply  which  they  had  in 
store. 

For  a  long  time  it  was  thought  by  our  botanists  that  a  species  of  Lin- 
n^us,  Agrimonia  Eupatoria,  embraced  many  of  the  forms  of  this  genus 
which  occur  in  eastern  America.  This,  however,  was  an  error  in  con- 
ception which  has  since  been  rectified.  That  species  is  now  known  as  being 
not  indigenous  to  America. 

A.  incisa  differs  from  other  American  members  of  the  genus  in  having 
incised  leaflets  with  few  large  and  salient  teeth.  In  addition  to  the  forms 
mentioned  there  is  also  one  with  elongated  racemes  of  flowers,  pubescent 
stems  and  tuberous  roots  which  is  known  as  Agrimonia  pumila,  or  the  small- 
fruited  agrimony. 

Still  another  species  with  as  many  as  from  nine  to  twenty-three  leaflets 
and  unusually  small  flowers  and  fruit  is  called  small-flowered  agrimony, 
Agrimonia  parviflor^, 


244  THE  ROSE  FAMILY. 

CHEROKEE   ROSE. 

Rosa  IcEvigdta. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF   BLOOM 

Rose.  White.  Scentless.  In  cultivation.  May. 

Floivers:  large;  solitary  at  the  ends  of  the  branchlcts.  Calyx-tube:  uni- 
shaped;  very  bristly,  its  lobes  spreading  and  pubescent.  Petals:  five,  large; 
spreading;  rounded.  Stamens:  numerous;  inserted  on  the  disk.  Leaves:  com- 
pound; odd-pinnate  with  mostly  three  lanceolate,  or  oblong  leaflets;  finely  ser- 
rate ;  bright  green  and  glossy  above,  lighter  below  ;  smooth,  persistent.  Spines  : 
small ;  curved  and  extending  along  the  under  side  ot  the  mid-vein.  Stem  :  trail- 
ing; prickly;  smooth. 

Who  of  the  south  does  not  know  the  Cherokee  rose  and  regard  it  with  fond 
admiration  as  it  climbs,  retwines  and  doubles  itself  over  hedges,  or  up  the 
sides  of  cabins  and  transforms  them  into  flowery  bowers  almost  unrivalled  in 
beauty.  And  yet,  although  so  widely  distributed  through  the  southern  Atlan- 
tic and  gulf  states,  the  rose  is  not  known  to  occur  there  in  a  wild  state  and 
just  how  it  came  to  be  so  abundant  in  the  former  country  of  the  Cherokee  In- 
dians is  a  question  only  partly  solved.  As  truly  wrapped  in  mystery  is  the 
history  of  its  occupancy  of  the  soil  as  that  of  the  people  whose  name  it  bears. 
Should,  however,  the  theory  be  true  that  the  Chinese  first  inhabited  this 
country,  it  may  have  been  planted  by  them,  for  in  parts  of  China  as  well  as 
Japan  what  is  probably  the  same  species  is  conspicuous  among  the  flora. 

i?.  Carolina,  swamp  rose,  leisurely  opens  and  lets  flare  to  the  mid-summer 
air  its  deep  pink  blossoms,  abundantly  grouped  in  a  terminal  corymb  or 
rarely  solitary.  Of  the  individual  ones  it  is  noticed  that  the  petals  at  the 
apices  are  deeply  and  broadly  notched  while  the  calyx  with  its  long-pointed 
lobes  is  covered  with  short  bristles.  The  leaves  are  finely  serrate.  Long  after 
the  bloom  has  past  the  bush  is  still  made  attractive  by  the  large,  bright  red 
and  slightly  hispid  fruits  which  load  it  in  the  autumn.  It  is  a  bushy  plant 
growing  from  one  to  eight  feet  high,  the  stems  of  which  are  armed  with 
stout,  recurved  spines. 

•  R.  hiimilis,  pasture  rose,  has  also  pink  flowers,  the  five  spreading  petals 
of  which  are  rounded  or  slightly  emarginate  at  their  apices.  Very  fre- 
quently they  are  produced  singly,  although  their  natural  habit  is  to  grow  in 
few-flowered  clusters.  The  plant  is  low  and  erect  and  the  stems  bear  but 
few  prickles  which  are  straight  and  slender. 

R.  setigera,  prairie  rose,  is  indigenous  from  Florida  and  Texas  to  West 
Virginia  and  southern  Ontario,  westward.  In  Virginia  and  New  Jersey  it  is 
sometimes  seen  as  an  escape  from  cultivation.  Through  the  upper  districts 
of  the  south,  however,  it  climbs  wildly  about  with  long  stems  and  produces  in 
a  corymb  its  pale  pink,  or  white  flowers.     Its  large,  lanceolate  sepals  are 


PLATE   LXXII.     CHEROKEE    ROSE.     Rosj  Licviiutj. 


Shrouding  the  low  country  there  is  someti??ies  an  azure  mist 
which,  far  frojn  blending  things  together  to  the  sight,  niakes 
them  stand  out  boldly  against  a  sultry  sky.  It  is  then  that  the 
fair  petals  of  the  Cherokee  rose  rest  motionless  and  the  scamper- 
ing chameleon  seeks  his  hidden  hole.  Restlessly  a  small,  dull- 
coloured  bird  hops  in  and  out  among  the  blosso7ns,  his  round 
eyes  on  the  alert.  About  the  flowers  the  ground  is  covered  with 
7vater,  and  icith  more  coming  from  above  they  thus  seek  to 
save  themselves  from,  a  ducking  beneath  the  generous  clitnber. 

(lxxii.) 


THE  ROSE  FAMILY.  245 

strongly  reflexed  and  have  on  them  a  velvety  pubescence.  They  are  also 
deciduous.     When  young  the  deep  red  hips  are  covered  with  a  bloom. 

7?.  riibiginbsa,  the  sweet  brier  which  strays  along  roadsides  and  in  waste 
places  and  sends  out  a  slender,  wand-like  spray  of  bloom  shading  from  pink 
to  white,  is  distinguishable  through  its  small  fragrant  leatlcts  being  doubly 
serrate  and  glandular  pubescent  underneath.  It  is  an  introduced  rose,  the 
"  Eglantine,"  of  which  Chaucer,  Spencer,  and  Shakespeare  sung. 

Happily  there  is  little  uncertainty  about  a  rose  being  a  rose,  and  the  wild 
ones  are  known  to  the  amateur  as  well  as  to  the  botanist ;  but  it  is  perhaps 
the  latter  who  mostly  distinguishes  between  the  species.  Those  that  have 
been  mentioned  are  notable  ones  through  our  range  and  beautiful  as  are  all 
the  members  of  this  large  genus. 

Another  exquisite  one  is  known  as  Macartney  rose,  Rosa  bracteata.  It 
bears  small,  obovate  and  lustrous  leaflets  and  many  large  creamy  white 
flowers,  the  calyxes  and  stems  of  which  are  very  pubescent. 


THE  APPLE  FAMILY. 

Porndcece. 

Trees  or  shrubs  7vith  alternate,  simple  or  compound  leaves,  early 
falling  stipules  and  perfect,  regular  floivers,  growing  either  solitary,  or 
in  raceme  or  cyniose  clusters.  Calyx-tube  adnate  to  the  ovary.  Petals  : 
five,  mostly  clawed.     Stametis  :  often  numerous. 

AMERICAN  MOUNTAIN  ASH. 

Sorbus  Americana. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Apple.  White.  Scentless.  North  Carolina  alons  the  May\  June. 

Allcglianies^  northwarci.         Fruit  :  Se/>tei>il>er. 

Floiuers :  small;  growing  in  large,  flat  compound  cymes.  Calyx:  urn-shaped; 
five-lobed.  Corolla:  with  five  rounded,  short-clawed  petals.  Fruit:  numerous, 
bright  red,  berry-hke  pomes  about  the  size  of  large  peas  and  having  a  black  spot 
at  the  apex.  Leaves:  compound;  odd-pinnate,  with  reddish  grooved  stalks,  and 
from  nine  to  seventeen  almost  sessile,  long-ovate  or  lanceolate  leaflets,  taper- 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  pointed  or  rounded  at  the  base;  finely  serrate  ;  bright 
green  above  paler  below  and  glabrous  on  both  sides  at  maturity.  Bark:  dull 
brown;   almost  smooth  ;  astringent. 

This  slender  shrub,  or  sometimes  tree  is  one  more  of  the  beautiful  indi- 
viduals which  clothe  the  hillsides  with  life  and  colour.  Early  in  the  season 
often  as  many  as  a  hundred   tiny  white   blossoms   are  packed   away  in   its 


246  THE  APPLE  FAMILY. 

large  broad  clusters  which  later,  after  they  have  been  duly  fertilized,  de- 
velop into  heavy,  toppling  bunches  of  scarlet  fruit.  More  noticeable  then 
is  the  shrub  than  at  any  other  time,  as  it  casts  perhaps  the  only  bit  of 
colour  about  the  surrounding  fully  grown  and  intensely  green  foliage. 

Hovering  about  this  American  species  there  is  none,  it  would  seem,  of 
the  superstitious  fancy,  the  studied  avoidance  which  so  closely  is  associated 
with  the  Rowan  tree,  Sorbus  aucuparia  of  Europe  ;  long  known  for  its 
intimacy  with  witches,  its  potency  in  casting  spells  and  its  ability  to  remove 
curses. 

NARROW=LEAVED  CRAB=APPLE.  i^Plate  LXXIII.) 
Mains  a7igustifblia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Aj>ple.  Pi7ik  or  ivhite.         Fj-agrant.         Florida  and  Louisiana  io  March-May. 

New  Jersey  and  westward.      Fruit  :  September. 

Flcnvers :  large  ;  growing  on  long  pedicels  in  loose  few  flowered  cymes.  Calyx: 
campanulate  ;  pubescent,  with  five  sharply  pointed  lobes.  Corolla :  with  five 
rounded,  clawed  petals.  Stamens  :  numerous.  Styles  :  two  to  five,  nearly  separate. 
Fn/lt :  a  pome  about  an  inch  in  diameter.  Leaves:  simple,  with  slender  pubes- 
cent petioles  ;  oblong-lanceolate,  or  ovate,  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex  and 
rounded  or  narrowed  at  the  base;  serrate;  on  the  shoots  sometimes  slightly 
lolled;  dark  green;  shiny  and  glabrous  above,  sometimes  pubescent  beneath. 
Twigs,  often  spine  pointed. 

When  the  leaves  of  this  small  tree  are  very  young,  having,  in  fact,  just 
timidly  unfolded,  its  exquisite  rosy  and  fragrant  blossoms  come  into  full 
bloom.  It  is  then  still  so  early  in  the  season  that  the  purplish  grey  colour- 
ing of  its  twigs  forms  for  them  a  misty  background,  and  only  such  other 
wide-awake  shrubs  as  the  thorn,  the  shad-bush  and  the  spice-bush  are 
laden  with  flowers.  But  everything  is  stirring :  the  march  is  onward. 
Long  before  we  would  have  them  go,  however,  the  flower's  petals  are  car- 
ried away  by  the  wind  and  its  calyx-tubes  begin  to  enlarge  into  small  green 
pomes  slightly  flattened  at  their  extremities,  hard  and  unsympathetic  to  eat, 
and  yet  which  are  delightfully  fragrant. 

M.  coro7idria,  sweet  scepted  crab  tree  which  also  grows  in  thickets  and 
woods  and  from  South  Carolina  extends  as  far  northward  as  Ontario,  pro- 
duces larger  and  even  more  beautiful  flowers  than  its  relative,  and  they 
also  are  very  fragrant.  Its  leaves  are  broader  than  the  others  and  have 
toothed,  or  often  lobed  edges  and  decidedly  rounded  or  cordate  bases. 
When  they  are  young  rich  shades  of  red  and  maroon  mingle  on  their 
otherwise  green  surfaces,  and  on  the  lower  surface  they  are  sparingly  pubes- 
cent along  the  veins.  Only  as  they  grow  old  do  they  become  entirely 
smooth  and  settled  down  to  a  sombre  shade  of  green.  In  September  the 
fruit  ripens,  a  fragrant,  waxy,  greenish  yellow  pome,  much  larger  and   more 


PLATE   LXXIII.     NARROW-LEAVED     CRAB-APPLE.     M.iliis  jnirusli/olij, 

(247) 


248  THE  APPLE  FAMILY. 

flattened  than  those  of   the  narrow-leaved    crab.     Although  very  sour  they 
make  readily  into  preserves  and  jellies  of  excellent  quality. 


BLACK  CHOKEBERRYo 

Ardni'a  n)gra. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Apple,  White.  Scentless.  Florida  fiorthward.  March-June. 

Flowers  :  small,  growing  in  terminal  compound,  glabrous  cymes.  Calyx  :  urn- 
shaped,  with  five  j^ointed  lobes.  Corolla  :  with  fil'e,  rounded,  spreading  petals. 
Stamens  :  numerous.  Styles  :  three  to  five.  Fruit  :  a  small  purplish  black  pome. 
Leaves  :  simple,  with  short  petioles  and  a  j^air  of  small  stipules  ;  oval,  long 
pointed  at  the  apex  ;   pointed  or  rounded  at  the  base  ;    finely  serrate  ;  glabrous. 

This  small  shrub  with  its  greyish  purple  or  reddish  twigs  grows 
sometimes  to  a  height  of  twelve  feet  and  is  found  in  low  woods,  or  swamps. 
Through  the  AUeghanies,  however,  and  on  such  peaks  as  Mount  Mitchell  and 
Roan  mountain  it  ascends  as  high  as  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea  level. 
A  peculiarity  of  its  small  purplish  black  pomes  is  that  they  are  not  at  all  in- 
dented or  hollowed  at  their  bases.  This  species  and  the  one  which  follows 
are  the  only  members  of  the  genus. 

A.  arbutifblla,  red  chokeberry  or  dogberry  tree,  although  a  very  similar 
shrub  to  the  one  preceding,  bears  fruit  which  when  ripe  is  a  bright  red.  On 
the  cymes  and  under  surfaces  of  the  leaves  also  there  is  a  white  tomentum. 
These  peculiarities,  combined  with  the  fruit's  colour,  afford  ample  means 
for  its  identification. 

SHAD=BUSH.     SWAMP  SUGAR=PEAR. 

Ameldnchicr  Boh'yapiiini. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Apple.  White.  lo-^o/cct.  Florida  and  Louisiana  to  April,  May. 

New  Brujiswick,  Fruit:  June^  July. 

Flotaers :  large  ;  growing  profusely  in  terminal  racemes  and  appearing  with  the 
leaves.  Pedicels :  woollv.  Calyx  :  vvith  five,  pointed  lobes  which  become  glabrous 
with  age.  Corolla:  with  five  oblanceolate,  or  linear-spatulate  petals,  often  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  long,  entire.  Stamens  :  numerous,  on  the  throat  of  the  calyx. 
Styles  :  two  to  five,  pubescent  at  the  base.  Fruit  :  dark  blue,  or  reddish,  globose 
pomes  showing  the  persistent  calyx  lobes  at  their  summit.  Leaves:  with  long, 
woolly  petioles  ;  ovate,  or  oval,  ])ointed  at  the  base  ;  finely  serrate  ;  bright  green 
and  glabrous  above,  covered  underneath  with  a  dense,  white  tomentum  at  least 
when  young.     A  shrub,  or  small  tree  with  greyish  or  reddish  twigs. 

Full  of  strength  and  beauty  seem  to  be  the  soft  sheets  of  bloom  spread 
by  the  shad-bush  as  in  earliest  spring  it  awakes  from  its  winter's  sleep. 
The  foliage  then,  however,  has  a  tender  look  from  the  dense   white  wool 


THE  APPLE  FAMILY. 


249 


with  which  it  is  covered.  Later  this  drops  off  as  the  cHmate  softens  and 
the  leaves  become  more  accustomed  to  the  atmosphere.  Through  the  gulf 
states  and  along  the  mountains  northward  to  New  Brunswick,  in  swamps 
and  moist  soil  the  shad-bush  is  known  as  a  slirub,  or  sometimes  it  assumes 
an  arborescent  habit  and  grows  as  high  as  thirty  feet.  A  sweet,  dainty  mor- 
sel is  its  fruit  which  perhaps  has  been  relished  more  by  the  Indians  than  any 
other  people,  and  which  as  well  as  eating  fresh  they  manipulate  into  a  dried 
paste  to  put  by  for  winter  use.  Children,  however,  and  birds  are  not  far 
behind  them,  in  locating  its  whereabouts,  and  knowing  just  when  the  time 
has  come  to  gather  its  offerings. 

A.  Canadensis,  June-berry,  May-cherry,  or  service  berry  shows  its  leaves 
to  be  only  sparsely  pubescent,  even  when  young.  All  through  the  south  this 
species  seems  to  be  known  in  the  vernacular  as  the  "  sarvice  tree,"  and  the 
sweet  quality  of  its  fruit  is  no  secret.  Those  that  find  it  eat  it  as  eagerly  as 
they  would  cherries.  It  is  even  made  into  pies.  The  mountaineers'  vigor- 
ous method  of  procuring  it,  however,  is  usually  to  chop  the  tree  down,  so  in 
many  places  they  are  becoming  rather  scarce.  In  its  best  estate  the  June- 
berry  reaches  a  height  of  sixty  feet,  but  usually  is  not  over  twenty-five  feet 
tall. 

POMETTE  BLEUE.     {Plate  LXXIV.) 
Cratckgus  brachyacantha. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  SIZE  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Apple.  White.  30-50 yVt'/".  Louisiana  and  Texas.  April. 

Flowers  :  borne  on  lateral  branchlets  in  glabrous,  compound  corymbs.  Ca/yx  : 
obconic,  with  five  small,  triangular,  persistent  sepals.  Corolla  :  with  five  nearly 
orbicular  white  petals,  which  in  drying  turn  to  a  bright  orange  colour.  Stamens  : 
usually  twenty,  borne  on  slender  filaments.  Fruit  :  which  matures  and  drops  in 
August,  subglobose;  from  one-third  to  one-half  an  inch  in  diameter  ;  bright  blue  ; 
glaucous.  Leaves  :  lanceolate-oblong,  ovate  or  rhombic  ;  acute  or  rounded  at  the 
apex;  narrowed  at  the  base  into  short  petioles;  crenate-serrate  ;  glabrous;  dark 
green  and  lustrous.     Bar/:  :  dark  brown,  deeply  furrowed  and  scaly. 

First  discovered  by  the  Scotch  botanist  and  explorer  Thomas  Drummond, 
but  made  known  and  its  true  character  revealed  by  Dr.  Charles  Mohr,  who, 
some  fifty  years  after  the  original  discovery,  gathered  specimens  from  trees 
growing  in  the  vicinity  of  Minden,  Louisiana,  in  the  autumn  of  1880.  This, 
the  only  blue  fruited  thorn  in  the  south,  is  perhaps  the  largest  and  most 
beautiful  of  the  genus.  It  is  called  Pomette  Bleue  by  the  French  Acadians 
of  Louisiana,  and,  on  account  of  its  symmetrical  outline,  pleasing  foliage  and 
attractiveness  of  both  flowers  and  fruit,  is  well  deserving  of  a  home  in 
southern  gardens. 

The  genus  Crataegus,  as  treated  in  the  copy  of  Chapman's  P'lora  of  the 
Southern  United  States  before  me,  embraces   descriptions  of  fifteen  forms, 


250  THE  APPLE  FAMILY. 

but  since  the  publication  of  that  work  not  less  than  seventy  new  species  from 
the  same  territory  have  been  proposed,  and  the  outlook  for  many  more,  I 
am  informed,  "  is  hopeful !" 

It  was  not  a  difficult  task  to  dispose  of  the  southern  thorns  under  the 
classification  in  vogue  a  few  years  ago,  especially  as  so  many  of  the  forms 
with  large  red  fruit  could,  with  but  slight  chances  for  adverse  criticism,  be 
referred  to  Crataegus  coccinea,  and  the  yellow  or  orange  fruited  forms  as 
safely  called  Crat^gus  flava.  But  this  kind  of  easy  botany  has  faded. 
CratcCgus  coccinea  as  demonstrated  by  Professor  Sargent,  does  not  occur  in 
the  south,  and  the  many  forms  heretofore  referred  to  Crataegus  flava  have 
been  split  up  into  nearly  as  many  species.  The  thorns  then,  instead  of  rep- 
resenting a  moderate  number  of  species,  really  turn  out  to  embrace  a  whole 
army  of  distinct  kinds. 

Not  until  a  concise  publication  reveals  the  true  relationship  and  distinctions 
between  the  multiplicity  of  species,  will  the  casual  student  be  likely  to  in- 
terpret many  of  them  with  much  assurance  of  correctness.  The  following 
species,  however,  are  of  comparatively  easy  identification,  and  will  serve  us 
as  types  for  study. 

C.  cEstivdlis^  May  haw,  is  a  tree  sometimes  twenty  or  thirty  feet  tall,  an 
inhabitant  of  pine-barren  ponds  and  the  sandy  margins  of  streams.  Al- 
though extremely  southern  in  distribution,  it  enjoys  a  wide  range  of 
notoriety  on  account  of  the  delicious  preserves  and  jellies  made  from  its 
bright  red  fruit.  During  May  the  markets  of  many  southern  towns  dispose 
of  large  quantities  of  the  fruit,  which  is  eagerly  gathered  in  all  the  region 
where  it  abounds.  The  May  haw  is  the  first  of  its  kind  to  blossom  and  ripen 
its  fruit,  and  besides,  is  readily  known  by  the  rusty  tomentum  on  the  under 
surface  of  the  leaves. 

C.  apiifblia,  parsley  haw,  grows  from  the  Atlantic  coast  region  of  southern 
Virginia  to  central  Florida,  extending  westward  through  the  Gulf  states  to 
Texas  and  Arkansas.  It  is,  indeed,  fortunate  that  this  beautiful  shrub  or 
small  tree  is  endowed  with  so  wide  a  range.  While  extremely  rare  in 
gardens  it  is  one  of  the  most  delicate  and  pretty  of  the  thorns.  Its  beautiful 
leaves  are  pinnately  five  to  seven  cleft,  the  segments  again  incisely  lobed  and 
serrate,  of  a  soft,  bright  green  colour.  The  small  oblong  fruit  is  bright  scar- 
let at  maturity,  persisting  on  the  branches  until  the  beginning  of  winter. 

C  cordata,  Washington  thorn  so  much  used  at  one  time,  especially  in  the 
middle  states  for  hedges,  is  a  familiar  object  to  many  of  us.  The  sharply 
three  to  seven  lobed  smooth  leaves,  which  are  cordate  or  truncate  at  the 
base,  and  the  small  bright  red  fruits  easily  distinguish  the  species. 

C  punctata,  large-fruited  thorn,  produces,  as  the  common  name  implies, 
very  large  globose  pomes,  either  clear  red  or  bright  yellow,     These  thorn- 


PLATE   LXXIV.     POMETTE  BLEUE.     CraUi^us  /»„.;n::..n,f/n 

COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY    FREDERICK  A     STOKES  COMPANY 
PRINTED    IN    AMERICA 


/  ^  ..-*"  ^' 


A    '-^^ 


.H, 


l>-^r 


PLATE  LXXV.     MISS  VAIL'S  HAW.     CraU^gus  y.ilic,. 
(252; 


THE  PLUAl  FAMILY.  253 

P.  serdtina,  wild  black  cherry,  rum  cherry  or  cabinet  cherry  grows  at  its 
best  to  be  a  large  hue  tree  when,  as  is  well  known,  its  timber  of  lirm  texture 
and  splendid  colour  is  much  valued  for  use  in  cabinet  work.  On  the  slopes 
of  the  Alleghanies,  where  it  thus  appears  and  where  once  its  lustrous  bright 
foliage,  gay  yellow  in  the  autumn,  made  it  a  familiar  individual  it  is  now  but 
little  seen  except  as  small  individuals,  and  throughout  its  range  it  is  steadily 
falling  under  the  axe.  In  the  bud  its  leaves  are  folded  together  lengthwise 
and  not  until  they  are  well  grown  do  the  dainty,  long  racemes  of  bloom  un- 
fold. To  the  round  black  fruit  there  is  a  pleasant,  vinous  flavour  and  often 
housewives  prepare  with  it  a  good  although  rather  insidious  drink.  From 
the  bark  of  the  tree,  collected  ni  the  autumn,  an  aromatic,  bitter  tonic  is 
made,  and  is  of  considerable  repute  for  benefitting  pulmonary  troubles 

P.  Virginiana^  choke  cherry,  a  bushy  spreading  shrub,  seldom  over 
fifteen  feet  high,  grows  along  roadsides  and  rocky  banks  in  the  mountains 
of  North  Carolina  and  northward.  Its  erect  compact  racemes  of  delicate 
white  blossoms  terminate  the  season's  shoots  while  later  in  drooping, 
heavy  ones  hang  reddish  drupes  finally  turning  to  black.  Most  decorative 
are  they  and  full  of  fine  rich  colour  before  they  become  the  orthodox  tone 
at  maturity.  Both  the  bark  and  drupes  are  very  astringent  and  much  used 
in  medicinal  ways. 

P.  Pennsylvanica,  wild  red  cherry,  bird,  or  pigeon  cherry,  which  when 
well  grown  is  quite  a  shapely,  rounded  tree,  has  long  branches  prolific 
in  the  season  with  fine  white  blossoms  hanging  on  slender  pedicels  in 
corymbs,  and  produced  from  lateral  buds.  By  this,  its  inflorescence,  it  is 
distinguished  from  the  three  already  mentioned  cherries,  the  flowers  of 
which  all  grow  in  racemes.  Its  lustrous  leaves  are  gracefully  shaped,  often 
of  a  bluish  tint  of  green  and  retain  always  a  somewhat  crinkled  edge  from 
their  position  when  folded  lengthwise  in  the  bud.  The  small,  sour  and 
bright  red  fruit  is  probably  known  to  us  all.  While  occurring  southward  as 
far  as  Georgia  and  in  the  Alleghanies  on  such  high  mountains  as  Grand- 
father, the  wild  red  cherry  is  in  general  a  northern  tree. 

Primus  injitcilnda.  {Plate  LXXVII^ 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Flam.  White.  Faint.  Gcoroia  and  Alabama.  Afril. 

Fruit:  July. 

Ficr.uers:  growing  on  long  thread-like  pedicels  in  prolific  lateral  clusters  and 
appearing  before  the  leaves.^  GjIvx:  with  five  spreading,  pointed  lobes.  CorolL^  : 
with  five  rounded  petals,  narrowed  into  claws,  early  falling.  Shuiitiis  .•  numerous, 
exserted.  Fruit:  an  oblong,  purplish  drupe,  glaucous.  Lra-rs:  simple,  oval, 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering,  or  rounded  at  the  base  ;  finely  serrate,  bright 
green  and  glabrous  above,  pubescent  underneath.  Bark:  dark,  and  with  many 
orange  coloured  excrescences. 


PLATE  LXXVI.     Pniniis  Alabamcusis. 
(254) 


THE  PLUM  FAMILY.  255 

Hardly  is  there  a  tree  or  shrub  of  more  delicate  and  chaste  beauty  than 
this  wild  plum  when  in  full  bloom  and  the  tiny  young  leaves  are  just 
beginning  to  show  themselves.  Very  gracefully  then  the  white  flowers 
hang  from  pedicels  almost  as  fine  as  threads.  The  fruit  is  extremely  bitter 
according  to  the  published  statements  of  Dr.  Small,  who  discovered  the 
species  in  the  region  of  Stone  Mountain,  Georgia,  in  July,  1893. 

P.  Americana,  wild  red  or  wild  yellow  plum,  becomes  when  a  tree  about 
thirty  feet  high,  but  quite  as  often  it  remains  a  shrub.  In  lateral  simple 
umbels  the  flowers  grow  and  appear  before  the  sometimes  doubly  serrate 
leaves.  The  rounded  fruit  is  red,  or  orange,  of  a  translucent  attractive 
brightness  and  has  an  unusually  tough  skin.  At  best  it  is  not  very  good  to 
eat  but  makes  up  into  really  excellent  preserves. 

P.  iimbelldta,  a  shrub  or  small  tree,  was  in  fruit  when  I  saw  it  in  a  field 
near  Jacksonville,  Florida.  It  has  a  similar  look  to  Prunus  injucunda  and 
belongs  to  the  group  of  wild  plums  bearing  their  flowers  in  lateral,  simple 
umbels  which  blow  before  the  thin,  smooth  leaves  unfold.  Quite  as  early 
as  February  in  some  seasons,  Prunus  umbellata  is  covered  with  its  white, 
rather  small  blossoms,  the  petals  of  which  are  raised  on  distinct  claws.  In 
August  the  fruit  ripens.  This  is  round  and  dark  purplish,  covered  with  a 
bloom,  and  altogether  too  sour  to  be  edible.  It  is  readily  distinguished 
from  Prunus  injucunda  by  its  smooth  leaves  and  shoots. 

P.  angustifblia,  chickasaw,  or  hog  plum,  occurs  as  a  small  tree  with  very 
narrow,  lanceolate  leaves,  folded  together  lengthwise  when  young  and  which 
are  then  slightly  curved.  The  flowers  grow  abundantly  in  short  lateral 
umbels  on  the  wood  of  the  preceding  year  and  usually  their  petals  have 
fallen  before  the  new  growth  of  the  season  appears.  The  plum  is  red  with 
a  thin  skin  and  has  but  little  bloom.  In  the  south  it  is  common  about  old 
homesteads. 

CHERRY  LAUREL.  WILD  ORANGE. 

PriDiics  Carolinidna. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Plum.  W'liitc.  Scentless.  Florida  and  S^orth  Carolina  February.  .March. 

westward.  Fruit:  autumn. 

Flozuers  :  growing  closely  in  short,  erect,  axillary  racemes.  Qi/vx :  top-shaped, 
the  lobes  deciduous.  Petals:  very  small.  Stamens:  numerous,  much  c.xscrtcd. 
Fruit:  ovoid,  black,  lustrous.  Leaves:  long-oblong,  or  ovate-lanceolate, 
pointed  at  both  ends,  mostly  entire,  thick  and  highly  lustrous  above;  coriaceous; 
evergreen. 

Very  pretty  and  well  shaped  does  this  small  tree  appear  as  along  the 
banks  of  rivers  it  retains  throughout  the  year  its  thick,  glossy  leaves.  The 
fruit  also  remains  on  the  branches  over  the  winter,  or  until  the  opening  of 
the  flowering  season.  By  the  way  its  blossoms  are  grouped  in  erect  ra- 
cemes, much  shorter  even  than  the  leaves,  the  cherry  laurel,  as  it  is  appro- 


PLATE   LXXVll.     Pninus  iujiiciinda. 
(256) 


THE  PLUM  FAMILY. 


-57 


priately  called,  can  readily  be  known  from  the  otiier  wild  plums  with  wiiich 
it  might  be  confused. 


THE  niMOSA  FAHILY. 


Mi, 


viosacccp. 


A  group  including  trees,  shrubs  and  herbs  with  mostly  compound, 
alternate  leaves,  commonly  twice  or  thrice  pinnate,  and  ngular,  perfect 
/lowers,  luhich  grow  in  heads,  racemes,  or  spikes. 

SENSITIVE    BRIER.     GANDER   TEETH. 


Morongia  u/uinata. 


FAMILY 
Jl  ii/iosa. 


COLOUR 

Pinkisli  luTende 


TIME    OF   BLOOM 
May- A  u^Uit . 


ODOUR  RANGE 

J-rti^rant,  Texas  and  J'/orida  to 

North  Carolina. 

FUnvcrs  :  small  ;  regular  ;  growing  in  round,  dense  heads  on  long,  axillary 
peduncles,  either  singly,  or  a  few  together;  the  peduncles  beset  with  numerous, 
sharp  prickles  pointed  downward.  Ca/yx  :  minute  ;  five  toothed.  Corolla:  fun- 
nel-shaped ;  five-cleft.  Stamens  :  eight  to  twelve.  Leguines  :  slender  ;  covered 
with  short  spines.  Leaves  :  bi-pinnately  divided  and  having  eight  to  fifteen  pairs 
of  minute,  elliptic,  oblique  leaflets,  obtuse  at  the  apex  and  rounded  at  the  base  ; 
ciliate  ;  sensitive  ;  the  petioles  covered  with  numerous,  hooked  prickles.  Utetn  : 
grooved  ;  two  to  four  feet  long,  decumbent  and  armed  with  prickles. 

As  the  barefooted  mountaineer  of  the  south  strides  in  search  of  his  liveli- 
hood over  many  a  sandy  meadow,  this  small  plant,  shrinking  and  very  pretty, 
causes  him  deep  annoyance.  In  return  for  being  stepped  on,  it  gets  between 
his  toes  and  fastens  there  its  innumerable  little  prickles.  No  mood  is  he 
then  in  to  see  its  beauty.  He  detests  it.  But  to  the  wellshod  flower  seeker 
it  presents  one  of  the  sweetest,  most  unique  personalities  of  all  the  native 
plants.  Like  a  ball  of  pinky  fluff  the  tiny  bloom  hides  among  the  grass 
and  when  it  is  picked  the  curious  leaflets  show  their  sensitiveness  to  being 
touched  by  folding  together  and  clinging  tightly  with  their  prickles  to  the 
fingers  or  clothing.  It  is  a  most  difficult  plant  to  handle.  The  bloom  also 
fades  quickly  while  emitting  a  scent  like  that  of  hyacinths. 


Moronf. 


258  THE  MIMOSA  FAMILY. 

NeptiDiia  Floridaiia, 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mimosa.  Yellozu.  Scentless.         Florida  to  Louisiana.  April-June. 

Flowers  :  growing  thickly  in  nodding,  rounded,  or  oval  heads  at  the  ends  of  long, 
slightly  scabrous,  axillary  peduncles.  Stamens:  consisting  of  a  number  of  narrow, 
petal-like,  sterile  filaments  and  ten  fertile  ones.  Legntncs  :  oblong;  slightly  tipped 
at  the  apex,  glabrous,  growing  in  rounded  clusters.  Leaves  :  abruptly  twice-pin- 
nate with  ovate  pointed  stipules,  the  leaflets  very  tiny,  numerous,  oblong,  fringed  on 
the  margins.  Stem  :  two  to  three  inches  long  ;  ascending  or  spreading;  roughened 
by  minute,  scattered,  scabrous  pubescence. 

In  dry,  sandy  soil  are  sometimes  seen  the  little  yellow  balls  of  this  plant's 
bloom.  No  doubt  its  personality  would  readily  suggest  its  kinship  with  the 
sensitive  brier,  but,  although  more  or  less  rough,  it  is  not  covered  with  the 
prickles  and  has,  therefore,  not  the  means  of  cleverly  thrusting  itself  on 
the  people's  attention.     So  it  passes  without  even  a  common  name. 


THE  SENNA    FAMILY. 

CaesalpindcecE. 

A  group  iiidiidmg  trees.,  shrubs  a7id  herbs  with  simple,  or  coitipoiind^ 
alternate  leaves  ivhich  usually  have  stipules  ;  and  i?-?'egular,  or  almost 
regular  flowers.,  oftc?t  appearing  pea-shaped.  Calyx :  usually  in 
divisio?is  of  five.  Petals  :  usually  five  and  imbricated.  Stamens  :  ten  or 
less.     Fruit :  a  legume, 

RED  BUD.     AflERICAN  JUDAS=TREE. 

Ccrcis    Canadensis. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Senna.        Croivn^  spreaditzg,  JIat.  \o-^o  feet.        Texas  and  Florida  February-April. 

to  New  Jersey. 

Bark  :  purplish  grey.  Leaves  :  with  petioles  swollen  at  the  ends,  and  early 
falling  stipules  ;  broadly  ovate  ;  truncate  or  cordate  at  the  base,  the  apex  con- 
tracted into  a  blunt  point  where  the  mid-vein  sometimes  projects  a  bristle  ;  pal- 
mately-veined  ;  entire;  glabrous,  or  slightly  pubescent  in  the  axils  of  the  under 
veins.  Fltnvers :  several,  growing  together  on  slender  pedicels  in  sessile,  umbel- 
like clusters  on  the  old  wood  and  appearing  before  or  just  as  the  leaves  unfold  ; 
acrid.  Calyx:  red.  Petals:  rosy  pink,  the  wings  over-lapping  or  covering  the 
small  standard.  Pods  :  linear  oblong  ;  winged  along  the  seed-bearing  margin  and 
containing  many  flat,  puckery  seeds. 

On  grey,  dull  days  when  the  spring  is  approaching,  it  is  fairly  startling  to 
look  up  from  one's  surroundings  and  find  the  red  bud  in  bloom  ;  for  like 
the  reddest  burst  of  sunset  it  lightens  up  the  tree's  bare  branches  and  all 


THE  SENNA  FAMILY. 


259 


the  landscape.  In  the  south  it  is  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  flowering  trees, 
while  further  northward  it  delays  its  bloom  sometimes  until  April.  Fre- 
quently not  a  leaf  is  to  be  seen  on  it  when  the  quaintly-formed,  almost  pea- 
shaped  little  blossoms  burst  forth.  They  fairly  cover  in  places  the  purplish 
grey  bark  and  are  of  two  shades  of  deeply  tinted  pink. 

About  our  American  plants,  we  find  very  frequently  that  it  has  been 
through  their  similarity  to  European  ones  that  the  early  settlers  of  this 
country  bestowed  on  them  certain  common  names.  So  this  beautiful  plant 
is  called  Judas-tree,  as  is  the  European  species,  Cercis  siliguastrum, 
although  it  could  never  have  been  the  traditionary  one  from  which  the 
Apostle  is  said  to  have  hung  himself.  Neither  has  it  in  America  been  a 
supposed  favourite  with  witches;  the  chosen  one  to  which  they  draw  near  at 
midnight. 

WILD  SENNA.  AMERICAN  SENNA. 

Cassia  Maryldndica. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Senna.  Deep  yellow.  Scentless.  Florida  and  Louisiatta  ful}\  A  ui^ust . 

to  New  England. 

Floivers  :  growing  on  slender  axillary  peduncles  in  many  flowered  racemes. 
Calyx-lobes  :  five,  oblong,  blunt-pointed.  Corolla;  nearly  regular,  with  five  spread- 
ing, clawed  petals.  Sla/iiois  ;  ten,  three  being  imperfect,  the  others  witii  large,  up- 
curved  anthers.  Pistil :  one  ;  style  woolly.  Pods  :  long,  linear,  slightly  curved  and 
pubescent  at  least  when  young  with  fine  hairs.  Leaves  :  with  long  petioles,  at  the 
base  of  which  is  a  club-shaped  gland,  and  early-falling,  linear  stipules;  abruptly 
pinnate  with  from  twelve  to  twenty  oblong,  obtuse  leaflets,  with  short  petiolules  and 
tipped  at  the  ape.x  with  the  midrib;  entire;  STuooth.  A  perennial  herb,  four  to 
ten  feet  high,  branched;  smooth,  or  slightly  pubescent. 

How  much  of  cheeriness  there  is  in  the  autumn  about  the  bright  yellow 
flowers  of  this  senna,  as  perhaps  with  the  tall  wild  bellflower,  it  occurs 
amid  wooded,  ferny  places,  or  even  approaches  the  cardinal  flower  by  some 
low-lying  swamp.  In  its  own  way,  it  is  quite  as  beautiful  as  they,  and 
grows  in  certain  parts  of  the  south  most  abundantly.  It  is  also  much  culti- 
vated for  a  border  plant.  After  its  season  of  bloom  has  passed  its  pods  and 
leaflets  are  collected  to  be  dried  and  then  used  in  many  similar  medicinal 
ways  to  those  for  which  the  oriental  senna  has  attained  renown.  It  is  very 
noticeable  that  the  sensitiveness  of  the  leaves  of  certain  sennas  causes  them 
to  close  whenever  touched,  or  rudely  brushed  against  and  it  was  this  pe- 
culiarity of  some  plants  which  early  observed  by  primitive  people  caused 
them  to  believe  in  their  being  inhabited  by  distinct  and  personal  spirits. 

C  Chamcccrista,  large  sensitive  plant,  or  partridge  pea,  {Ptatc  LXXVIII), 
a  spreading,  erect  individual  is  considerably  smaller  than  the  wild  senna  and 
bears  small  abruptly  pinnate  leaves  with  from  ten  to  fifteen  pairs  of  oblance- 


u 


^KMkf* 


^^l-f 


> 


C^^^ 


&'^fi 


,^f)k: 


PLATE  LXXVlll.     LARGE  SENSITIVE   PLANT.     Cassia Chama^crista. 

(260) 


THE  SENNA  FAMILY.  261 

olate  leaflets,  rounded  at  their  apices.  The  flowers,  however,  are  large  and 
most  showy,  two  or  four  of  them  growing  on  axiflary,  thread-hke  peduncles. 
At  their  bases  the  lower  petals  are  somewhat  spotted  with  purple,  while  the 
stamens  are  all  anther- bearing.  The  pods  vary  from  an  inch  to  an  inch 
and  a  half  in  length  and  in  manner  of  growth  is  straight  and  ascending. 
Along  dry  waysides,  there  is  hardly  in  the  late  summer  a  more  gay  or 
beautiful  plant  to  be  found.  Its  leaflets  also  are  curious,  being  very  sensi- 
tive. 

C.  7iicti(ans,  wild  sensitive  plant,  or  sensitive  pea.  is  known  by  its  small 
flowers  which  grow  on  short  pedicels,  and  its  numerous  and  also  snuill  leaf- 
lets. The  Ave  stamens  are  all  anther  bearing,  while  its  pods  and  stems  are 
quite  pubescent. 

C.  occidi'HtiUis,  coffee  senna,  a  native  of  X'irginia  and  the  states  south- 
ward, grows  in  a  branching,  bushy  way  to  about  Ave  feet  high.  It  is  a 
showy  plant,  distinctively  marked  by  its  large  ovate-lanceolate  leaflets, 
pointed  at  ,the  apex,  and  its  brilliant  deep  orange  flowers.  Of  their  ten 
stamens  the  upper  three  are  imperfect.  In  the  slightly  curved  and  linear 
pods  tliere  are  found  numerous  seeds.  These  the  negroes  make  into  what 
they  call  Magdad  coffee.  As  late  as  early  November,  along  the  St.  John's 
river,  I  picked  a  number  of  the  blossoms  which  still  were  fresh  and  charm- 
ing. 

C.  Tbra,  low  senna,  springs  up  along  river  banks  and  seems  also  to 
care  to  follow  railways  from  Florida  and  Missouri  to  southern  Pennsyl- 
vania. Its  large  leaves  are  composed  of  from  four  to  eight  broadly  obovate. 
thin  leaflets,  and  its  long,  slender  pods  recurve  in  semi-circles.  It  is  an 
annual  with  glabrous  parts. 

WATER  LOCUST.     SWAMP  LOCUST.     [Plate  LXX IX :) 
Gleditsia  aqudtica. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Senna.         Irregular,  Jl,xt-toJ>ped      \o-(>o  Jcft.       Fiorida  to  South  Carolina  May,/ it  n, 

croivn.  ana'  Indiana. 

Bark:  recldish-ljrown  or  grey,  fissured,  Sf^iiies :  compressed  ;  very  stout, 
sometimes  with  short  lateral  branches,  smooth  and  lustrous.  Lenvcs  :  with  long 
petioles,  once  or  twice  abruptly  piiuiate  and  having  from  ten  to  twenty-si.x,  or 
more  very  short  stalked  leaflets,  which  are  ovate-lanceolate,  blunt  at  tiie  apex, 
mostly  rounded  and  one  sided  at  the  base  ;  crenulate  ;  thick;  glabrous.  F/iKccrs: 
small;  greenish  white;  growing  in  spike-like,  drooping  racemes.  Cdyx :  cam- 
panulate:  three  to  five  cleft,  pubescent.  Corolln :  with  as  many  divisions  as  the 
calyx,  the  lobes  spreading,  equal  and  sessile.  Stiuncns:  six  to  ten.  Lci^um^s : 
reddish  ;  obliquely  oval  \  flat,  tapering  at  both  ends  and  projecting  a  point, 
glabrous,  containing  one  seed. 

The  water  locust  which  was  first  described  by  Mark  Catesby  is  only  seen 


PLATE  LXXIX.     WATER  LOCUST.     Gleditsia  aquaiica. 
(262) 


THE  SENNA  FAMILY.  263 

at  its  best  when  abundantly  hung  with  its  reddisli,  flat  pods,  and  they  in 
outhne  are  so  very  different  from  those  of  other  trees  that  there  is  little  ex- 
cuse for  confusing  it  with  another.  Early  in  the  autumn  they  fall,  as  in 
August  they  have  reached  maturity.  Sometimes  the  great  spines  look 
almost  black  and  add  a  certain  curious  charm  to  its  other  attractions. 

G.  triacdnihos,  honey  locust,  or  honey  shucks,  the  latter  a  more  familiar 
appellation  to  the  natives  who  gather  its  pods  and  eat  the  sweet,  pulpv 
substance  between  the  seeds,  is  a  large,  graceful  tree,  marked  by  an  un- 
usually fine  spray  of  foliage.  More  than  by  any  other  feature  it  is  known 
through  its  great  reddish  brown  pods,  measuring  from  nine  to  twenty 
inches  long.  They  are  curved  and  in  drying  twist  and  retwist  while  they 
open  and  skilfully  scatter  the  seeds  in  diverse  directions. 


KENTUCKY  COFFEE  TREE.     STUHP   TREE. 

Gymndcladus  dio)ca. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Senna. 

Niirro7v^  [tranches 

40-80-1 10  yi't'/. 

Tennessee^ 

May.July. 

ascending. 

northiuard. 

Fruit  :  September.,  October. 

Bark  :  grey  tinged  with  red,  coarse,  rough,  separating  into  persistent  scales. 
Branches  :  smooth,  without  thorns.  Leaves  :  one  to  thre'e  feet  long  with  lanceolate 
stipules;  bipinnate,  petioled  ;  pinnas  five  to  nine,  either  odd  or  evenly  pinnate; 
leaflets  seven  to  fifteen,  or  the  lowest  pinnae  with  a  single  leaflet ;  they  are  ovate, 
taper  pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded  or  cordate  at  the  base,  entire,  fringed 
about  the  margins,  dark  green  and  glabrous  above,  pale  yellow-green  below  and 
slightly  pubescent  along  the  ribs.  Flcnvers  :  greenish  white  ;  dioecious,  growing 
in  terminal  racemes.  Legumes:  broad;  six  to  ten  inches  long;  reddish  brown; 
flat ;  glaucous  and  containing  several  hard  and  grey  seeds. 

The  study  of  forest  trees  during  the  w^inter  is  to  many  quite  as  fasci- 
nating, quite  as  replete  with  interesting  facts  as  when  they  are  shaking 
their  green  umbrellas  over  their  heads.  This  one,  for  instance,  has  at  this 
time  a  very  individual  look.  It  appears  stump-like  and  weather  beaten./ 
as  though  it  were  quite  shattered  with  wrestling  with  strong  gales.  Then 
also  through  its  branches  hang  unopened  its  great,  ungainly  looking  pods 
which  do  not  trouble  to  release  their  seeds  until  the  approach  of  early 
spring.  Sometimes  they  are  turned  to  almost  black  and  appear  miserably 
dead.  The  tree  is  not  common  and  is  the  only  member  of  its  genus.  At 
present  it  is  being  considerably  used  for  ornamental  planting.  It  is  related 
that  during  the  Revolution,  the  natives  in  remote  places  west  of  the 
ALleghanies  used  its  seeds  as  a  substitute  for  coffee,  and  in  fact,  they  still 
call  the  fruit,  coffee  nuts.  In  homeopathic  practice  also  the  leaves  and 
seeds  are  deemed  of  service. 


264  THE  PEA  FAMILY. 


THE  PEA  FAMILY. 

PapilionacecE. 
A  large  group  including  trees,  shrubs,  herbs  and  vines  7uith  alternate, 
usually  compound  leaves,  and  irregular  flower's  growing  in  various  forms 
of  inflorescences   aiid  which    are   mostly  known  by  their  papilionaceous 
corollas.     Fricit :  a  legiwie. 

AflERICAN  OR  KENTUCKY  YELLOW=WOOD.     VIRGILIA. 

Cladrdstis  liiica. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pea.  Croivn,  broad :         ■>,o-'~,o  feet.  Western  North  Carolina  to         May,  June, 

branches  spreading.  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

Bark:  silvery  grey,  close.  Branches:  ashy,  or  reddish.  Leaves:  compound, 
with  stalks  hollowed  at  their  bases  and  enclosing  the  buds  of  the  succeeding  year; 
odd-pinnate;  with  from  seven  to  eleven  oval  or  ovate  leaflets  (the  terminal  one 
narrowed  at  the  base)  pointed  at  the  apex  and  rather  blunt  at  the  base  ;  entire; 
light  green  above,  lighter  below,  glabrous.  Flowers :  white;  fragrant,  hanging  in 
full  terminal  panicles,  often  a  foot  or  more  long.  Corolla  :  jjapilionaceous  ;  the 
standard  large  and  turned  backward.  Fruit :  many  linear  pods  each  containing 
from  four  to  six  seeds. 

Not  so  many  years  ago  it  was  reported  that  the  people  of  the  south  had 
suddenly  awakened  to  the  beauty  and  rarity  of  this  tree.  It  was  even 
stated  in  local  newspapers  that  near  Nashville,  Tennessee,  there  had  been 
discovered  a  tree  thought  to  produce  the  shittim  wood  mentioned  in  the 
Bible,  and  of  which  the  tabernacle  was  built.  Perhaps  this  was  a  little  im- 
aginative. But  through  the  forest  in  rich,  rocky  soil  the  yellow-wood  is  in- 
deed a  rare  and  most  beautiful  tree.  It  is,  moreover,  always  beautiful. 
After  its  long  fragrant  bunches  of  milk-white  flowers  have  faded  its  leaves 
turn  in  the  autumn  to  golden  yellow,  while  in  the  winter  its  light  grey  bark 
recalls  somewhat  that  of  the  beech.  Its  wood  is  unfortunately  rather  brit- 
tle, causing  often  the  boughs  to  break  in  high  winds.  From  it  sometimes 
is  extracted  a  clear  yellow  dye.  It  was  the  elder  Michaux  who  first  des- 
cribed the  tree  under  the  name  of  Virgilia  lutea,  but  later  Rafinesque  who 
found  it  was  not  properly  called,  created  for  it  the  present  genus. 

Theriiiopsis  Caroliniana. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pea. 

Bright  yelloiv. 

Scentless. 

Alabama  to  North 
Carolina. 

31  ay-July. 

Flowers:  growing   closely  in   long,  terminal  and    villous  racemes.     Calyx:  per- 
sistent; bell-shaped  5  five-^tQotheci  and  covered  w'th  soft,  white  hairs,     Corolla  :  pa,- 


THE  PEA  FAMILY. 


--(-s 


pilionaceous  ;  standard  rather  small,  deeply  notched  at  theapcx;  wings;  lone 
narrow;  keel,  straight,  rounded.  Stumcns  :  ten,  incurved,  separate  witliering-per- 
sistent.  Legumes  :  linear  and  projecting  a  remnant  of  tiie  style,  lomentose. 
Leaves:  long-petioled,  with  conspicuous  leafy  stipules  at  their  bases;  three-foliate* 
the  leaflets  ovate,  or  obovate-oblong;  entire;  thin,  bright  green  above-  lighter 
below  and  silky.     Stetn  :   three  to  five  feet  high;    stout  ;   glabrous.  ' 

Somewhat  these  rigid,  upright  sticks  of  bloom  remind  us  of  the  great 
mullen  ;  for  their  flowers  are  also  a  bright,  gay  yellow,  and  not  of  a 
pea-like  shape.  Usually  we  find  them  fully  blown  at  the  top  of  the  shaft, 
although  its  lower  part  is  already  surrounded  with  pods,  looking  as  fluffy 
from  their  white  fuzz  as  ducklings  which  have  but  shortly  pipped  the  shell. 
Among  them  the  persistent  calyx  has  a  dried  and  weather  beaten  air.  The 
leaves  of  the  plant  also  being  graceful  it  is  altogether  a  charming  individual 
to  meet  in  its  mountainous  haunts. 

BLUE   FALSE  INDIGO.     WILD     INDIGO. 

Baptisia   austral  is. 


■AMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pea. 

Indigo-blue. 

Scentless. 

Georgia  to  J\-nnsyl7'ania, 
and  westward. 

June,  July. 

Flcnvers:  large;  growing  abundantly  in  erect  racemes,  often  twelve  inches  long; 
the  bracts  early  falling.  Calyx:  campanulate.  Corolla:  papilionaceous,  the  ban- 
ner being  somewhat  shorter  than  the  wings  and  keel.  Stavietis :  ten.  Legumes: 
one  and  one  half  inches  long,  oblong  ;  inflated,  tipped  with  the  style.  Leaves: 
three-foliate,  with  short  petioles  and  lanceolate,  leafy,  stipules  which  are  persis- 
tent. Leaflets:  oblanceolate,  or  cuneate-obovate,  mostly  rounded  at  the  apex; 
almost  sessile;  entire.     Stem:  two  to  six  feet  high  ;  glabrous. 

Almost  constantly  through  the  summer  the  flower-seeker  is  nseeting  with 
members  of  this  large  genus,  and  while  in  general  there  is  an  unmistakable- 
look  about  them  all,  it  is  often  rather  puzzling  to  definitely  locate  them  in 
the  family.  That  the  wild  indigo,  however,  bears  blue  flowers  is  enough  to 
distinguish  it  from  those  others  which  have  herein  been  included.  Among 
the  country  people  they  are  all  rather  well  known,  especially  for  the  purpose 
of  making  domestic  dyes,  and  in  their  selection  of  them  there  is  consider- 
able distinction  between  the  species. 

B.  cilha,  wild  white  indigo,  a  much  branched  plant,  bears  smaller  leaflets 
and  flowers  than  the  false  blue  one.  The  leaflets  also  are  mostly  oblong, 
blunt  at  the  apex  and  appear  very  symmetrical  and  smooth.  The  blossoms 
are  white.  They  grow  loosely  in  lateral  racemes  and  are  very  dainty,  having 
a  small,  ovate  and  recurved  banner.  In  drying  the  plant  remains  tmchanged 
in  colour. 

B.  leucdntha,  large  white  wild  indigo,  an  attractive  bushy  plant,  is  smooth 
throughout  and  bears  an  abundance  of  three-foliate  leaves  which  in  drying 
turn  to  black,     It  may,  however,   most  readily  be  known  by  its  beautiful 


266  THE  PEA  FAMILY. 

long  raceme  of  snow-white  blossoms,  the  standards  of  which  are  upright, 
reflexed  and  shorter  than  the  other  petals,  while  the  keels  are  large  and 
broad.     It  grows  in  sandy  soil  and  from  Florida  to  North  Carolina. 

B.  tinctbria,  yellow,  or  indigo  broom,  or  horse-fly-weed,  is  again  known 
by  its  very  small  three-foliate  glabrous  leaves,  and  its  bright  yellow  flowers, 
in  terminal  racemes.  It  is  bushy  and  spreading  and  much  seen  in  the 
Alleghany  and  Cumberland  mountains  where  it  is  used  about  the  bridles 
of  horses  to  keep  off  annoying  flies.  In  July  and  August  when  laden  with 
these  bright  pea-shaped  flowers  and  hung  also  with  its  dull,  dark  blue  cap- 
sules it  is  extremely  pretty.  Later  the  mountain  people  collect  its  roots  to 
use  in  medicinal  ways,  as  well  as  its  other  parts  for  making  domestic  dyes. 
Unless  most  carefully  dried  the  leaves  persistently  turn  to  black. 

B.  7negacdrpa,\\\n\G.  possessing  the  same  characteristics  of  having  yellow 
flowers  and  three-foliate  leaves  as  Baptisia  tinctoria,  is  a  very  different  indi- 
vidual and  is  mostly  confined  to  Florida  and  Georgia. 

Its  oval,  or  elliptical  leaflets  are  often  an  inch  and  a  half  broad  and  remain 
unchanged  in  colour  in  drying.  They  are,  moreover,  thin,  glaucous  under- 
neath, and  slightly  pubescent.  When  hung  with  its  numerous  capsules  the 
plant  is  very  attractive  for  they  are  large,  yellowish  green  and  much  inflated. 
At  their  bases  they  show  the  persistent  calyx. 

B.  perfolidta  {Plate  LXXX)  is  a  very  different  looking  member  of  the 
genus  than  those  others  which  have  gone  before  ;  and  confines  itself  mostly 
to  the  sandy  district  between  Georgia  and  South  Carolina.  Its  simple,  per- 
foliate leaves  covered  w^ith  a  bloom,  clasp  about  the  stem  so  closely  that 
they  appear  almost  rounded  in  outline,  and  are  entire  and  very  thick.  From 
their  axils  is  borne  a  solitary,  yellow  flower.  It  is  raised  on  a  peduncle, 
while  the  small  ovate  capsule  is  lined  with  deep,  lemon-yellow 

LUPINE. 

Luphius  villbsus. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pea.  Red  and  purple.         Scentless.        Florida  to  North  Carolina.  April. 

Fruit :  July. 

Flozve7's  :  growing  closely  in  erect,  terminal  racemes.  Calyx:  two-lipped,  five- 
toothed,  covered  with  silky  hairs.  Corolla:  papilionaceous;  standard  ovate,  the 
margins  reflexed  ;  keel,  incurved.  Stamois  :  monodelphous.  Style  :  enwrapped 
in  silky  hairs  at  its  base.  Pods:  flattened,  projecting  the  style  and  covered  with  a 
silky  wool.  Leaves:  simple,  with  long  silky  petioles  and  linear  stipules,  long, 
oblong,  pointed  and  tipped  with  the  midrib  at  the  apex  and  rounded  at  the  base, 
ciliate  and  covered  on  both  sides  with  silky  hairs.  Steju:  one  to  two  feet  long, 
ascending  or  prostrate. 

Most  charming  and  brilliant  plants  are  the  lupines  and  seem  to  have 
shown  a  high  sort  of  intelligence  as  over  sandy  barrens  they  form  a  sea  of 


PLATE   LXXX.     Bjiptisia  pcrfoli.ita. 
(267) 


268  THE  PEA  FAMILY. 

intense  changing  colours,  fairly  startling  in  effect  to  those  who  see  them 
growing  for  the  first  time.  Of  this  gay  species  the  vexillum,  or  banner  petal 
is  a  pale  red,  while  lurking  at  its  base  is  a  deep  purple  spot.  The  thick, 
silky  wool  which  enwraps  most  parts  of  the  plant  gives  it,  moreover,  some- 
what the  look  of  being  clothed  as  are  animals  with  a  fur  coat,  and  most 
prominent  this  feature  becomes  when  the  capsules  have  usurped  the  place 
of  the  flowers. 

The  generic  name  from  Lupus,  a  wolf,  was  originally  bestowed  because 
the  prolific  growth  of  the  plants  was  thought  to  exhaust  and  devour  the  soil. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  they  seem  to  be  especially  designed  to  trans- 
form barren  waste  country  into  acres  of  luxuriant  beauty.  Many  of  them 
have  the  peculiarity  of  turning  to  face  the  sun  and  are  called  "  sun  dials." 

L.  diffiisus,  a  smaller  species,  often  found  growing  with  the  preceding, 
bears  in  contrast  a  beautiful  raceme  of  blue  flowers,  the  vexillum  of  which 
is  spotted  with  purple.  The  leaves  also  are  simple  and  obovate  and  covered 
thickly  with  a  silky  pubescence.  Often  quite  an  inch  long  are  the  seed  pods 
and  as  well  are  covered  with  a  shaggy  coat. 

The  many  northeastern  and  western  species  of  lupines  differ  mostly  from 
these  two  of  the  south  in  having  their  leaves  digitately-divided. 

LOTUS.     BIRD'S=FOOT  TREFOIL. 

Lotus  HeUeri. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Fea.  Rose  and  yellow.         Scentless.  North  Carolina.  Septe)nber. 

Flowers:  small;  solitary  at  the  ends  of  slender,  axillary  peduncles  or  terminat- 
ing short,  leafy  branchlets.  Calyx  :  persistent,  with  five  slender  pointed  lobes. 
Corolla  :  papilionaceous,  the  rose-pink  standard  equalling  in  length  the  yellowish 
wings  and  keel.  Stamens  :  diadelphous,  nine  and  one.  Legumes  :  linear,  smooth, 
enclosing  many  seeds.  Leaves:  sessile;  three-foliate,  the  leaflets  very  small, 
linear-oblong,  or  linear  ;  entire;  mostly  glabrous.  Stem  :  erect  ;  divaricately 
branched  ;  leafy  at  least  when  young. 

When  on  a  trip  through  North  Carolina  in  search  of  rare  plants,  this  one 
was  collected  by  Mr.  Heller,  and  afterwards  named  in  his  honour.  Before 
this  time  it  had  been  confused  with  Lotus  Americana,  the  prairie  bird's 
foot  trefoil,  and  a  species  not  found  east  of  the  Mississippi. 

SAMSON'S   SNAKEROOT. 

Psoralea  pedunciildta. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pea.  Purplish.  Scetitless.  Texas  and  Florida  to  North  Alarch-July. 

Carolina  westward  to  Katisas. 

FloT.uers  :  growing  rather  loosely  in  terminal  and  axillary  racemes.  Calyx  :  vil- 
lous.    Standard :  ovate,  or   rounded    and     raised   on   a   claw.      Witigs :  oblong. 


THE  PEA  FAMILY.  269 

Keel:  incurved.  Stamens:  ten.  Z^-jj-v/wfj ;  nearly  round.  Zz-^irrj  ;  with  slender 
petioles  and  narrow  pointed  stipules  ;  three-foliate  ;  the  leaflets  oblong-lanceolate, 
mostly  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded  at  the  base  ;  entire  and  covered  with 
small  rather  inconspicuous  glandular  dots.  Stems  :  one  foot  to  eighteen  inches 
high;  erect;  branched,  slightly  pubescent. 

Although  the  common  name  of  this  rather  unattractive  plant  seems  un- 
doubtedly to  be  Samson's  snakeroot,  it  is  the  one  which  the  mountaineers 
of  the  south  reserve  exclusively  for  the  blue  gentian  ;  a  plant  especially  well 
known  to  them  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  powerful  and  invigourating 
tonic,  which  next  to  whiskey,  coffee  and  tobacco  holds  a  strong  place  in  their 
affections.  Indeed  it  is  in  itself  a  study  of  much  interest  to  compare  and 
trace  to  their  origin  the  common  names  of  many  American  plants.  The 
greater  number  of  them  perhaps  have  been  adapted  from  Indian  appellations, 
while  also  many  have  been  appropriately  bestowed  by  the  people. 

P.  Onobrychis,  sainfoin  psoralea,  appears  very  different  from  Samson's 
snakeroot  as  its  leaflets  are  broadly  ovate  with  long  tapering  apices.  Its 
long,  slender  raceme  also  is  more  closely  packed  with  small  purplish  llowcrs, 
and  seldom  comes  into  bloom  before  June. 

LEAD  PLANT.  flOUNTAIN  FALSE  INDIGO.  y^l'Iate  LXXXI.) 

Amorpha  virgdta. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pea. 

Purple. 

Scentless. 

Georgia  to 
North  Carolina. 

May\  June. 
Fruit  :  August,  Septembe 

/y^Te/^rj- :  growing  in  dense,  terminal  or  lateral,  spike-like  racemes.  Calyx: 
persistent;  small  ;  with  five  minute  teeth  ;  hairy.  Standard :  embracing  the 
stamens  and  style.  Wings  and  keel  none.  Stamens  :  ten,  monadeljihous  at 
the  base  ;  exserted.  Legnme  :  straight  on  the  back,  tijiped  with  a  remnant  of 
the  style;  one-seeded.  Leaves:  compound;  odd-pinnate  with  from  seven  to 
nineteen  ovate  leaflets,  obtuse  at  the  apex,  entire,  glabrous,  darker  above  than 
below.     A  shrub,  three  to  eight  feet  high  ;  erect,  branching. 

An  old  superstition  exists  among  the  country  people  that  wherever 
Amorpha  grows  lead  is  to  be  found.  No  doubt  at  some  time  this 
substance  was  discovered  in  its  vicinity,  and  so  the  idea  may  have 
originated.  Of  itself,  however,  the  lead  plant  w^ould  attract  many  an  eye, 
for  it  is  very  unusual  looking,  and  pretty.  The  bloom  when  young 
shows  innumerable  protruding  anthers,  which  give  it  a  fluffy,  bright  ap- 
pearance and  much  enliven  its  more  sombre  tone  of  purple.  The  foliage 
is  then  a  pale  grass-green.  This,  however,  as  it  grows  old  becomes  dimmed 
and  finally  turns  to  rich  shades  of  purple  and  maroon.  Another  (piaint 
little  characteristic  there  is  about  the  foliage  of  the  Amorphas.  Each 
leaflet  is  glandular-punctate,  somewhat  as  though  it  had  been  done  with  a 
needle.  Of  this  peculiarity  collectors  are  well  aware  and  the  first  thing 
they  do  when  a  le^f  e.xcites  their  suspicion  is  to  hold  it  up   to   the   light, 


PLATE   LXXXI.     LEAD  PLANT.     Amorpha  virgata. 
(270) 


THE  PEA  FAMILY.  271 

Should  no  little  holes  then  let  through  the  sunshine  they  would  seek  to 
place  it  somewhere  else  in  the  great  pea  family. 

A.  fncticbsa,  bastard,  or  false  indigo,  grows  as  a  shrub  to  often  the 
height  of  twenty  feet.  For  one  place  it  thrives  along  the  shores  of  the  St. 
John's  river  in  Florida  where  its  wand-like  racemes  of  purple  flowers  pro- 
duce an  unusual  effect  among  the  gayer  colours  of  other  plants.  Us  pods 
which  are  curved  on  the  back  bear  mostly  two  seeds  and  on  tiie  outside 
are  covered  with  small,  blister-like  dots. 

A.  Jbcr-bdcea  has  an  individual  look  from  the  silvery  grey  tomentum  which 
covers  its  stems,  petioles  and  the  under  side  of  its  leaves.  Its  leaflets  also 
are  smaller  and  of  a  more  yellow-green  than  those  of  its  mentioned  relatives. 
Again  its  numerous  and  slender  racemes  of  bloom  do  not  send  out  a  purple 
glow,  for  the  small  banner  petal  is  pale  blue  or  white,  and  much  shadowed 
by  the  leaden  down  on  the  calyx. 

QATTINQER'S  PRAIRIE  CLOVER.   {Plate  LXXXII) 
Petalostemon  Gattingeri. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Fta.  Pinkish  purple.  Scentless.  Tennessee.  August. 

Flmuers  :  small ;  growing  closely  in  a  terminal,  pyramidal  and  bracted  spike. 
Calyx  :  with  five  almost  equal  teeth,  and  covered  with  a  silvery  grey  pubescence. 
Corolla  :  of  five  ])etals,  each  projected  by  thread-like  long  claws.  Slamens  ; 
five,  protruding.  Leaves:  compound;  odd-pinnate,  the  leaflets  with  very  short 
petiolules  ;  linear,  bluntly-pointed  at  both  ends  ;  entire  ;  bright  green  ;  glabrous 
and  dotted  with  glands.  A  leafy  herb  with  smooth  stems  branching  from  the 
base. 

Hardly  a  more  charming  plant  crops  up  as  our  path  leads  us  over  dry 
soil  in  central  Tennessee  than  this  very  prairie  clover.  And  yet  it  is  one 
with  which  few  are  familiar.  It  is  most  interesting  to  notice  that  the 
lower  flowers  of  its  spike  are  fully  blown  some  time  in  advance  of  the  top- 
most ones  which  still  lie  hidden  within  their  calyxes  of  silvery  grey  sheen. 

PRAIRIE=CLOVER 

Kuhiiistcra  pinnata. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Pea. 

White. 

Scentless. 

Florida  to  North  Car- 
olina and  ivestward. 

Set'ttDu-et  ^ 
Oetoher. 

Floi.ver-heads :  rounded  ;  growing  in  abundant,  terminal  corymbs  surrounded  by 
an  involucre  of  imbricated,  oval  and  reddish,  ciliate  bracts.  Calyx-tectli  :  seta- 
ceous, plumose.  Petals:  almost  regular,  borne  on  filiform  claws.  Stamens: 
five  united  into  a  tube.  Leaves:  compound;  odd-i^innate,  the  mostly  three  to 
seven  leaflets  needle-shaped  and  usually  less  than  a  half  of  an  inch  long.  Stem  : 
about  two  feet  high,  erect,  bright  reddish  brown  at  the  base,  smooth,  leafy,  at 
least  when  young. 


PLATE   LXXXII.      PRAIRIE  CLOVER.     Petahstcmon  Gattingeri. 

(272) 


irtti 


PLATE    LXXXIIl.      AMERICAN   WISTARIA,      Kraunhia  frutesccns. 


COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY  FREDERICK    A.    STOKES   COMPANY 
PRINTED  IN  AMERICA 


THE  PEA  FAMILY.  273 

On  a  first  glance  at  this  plant  there  is  little  indeed  to  make  one  realise  that 
it  is  a  member  of  the  pea  family.  Its  many  flowers  grouped  in  heads  with 
conspicuous  involucres,  remintl  us  more  strongly  of  the  great  and  varied 
army  of  composites.  Ikit  on  dissecting  one  of  the  small  blossoms  it  will  be 
found  that  nowhere  else  than  just  where  it  is  could  it  be  relegated  with  a 
good  conscience.     It  grows  through  sandy,  dry  barrens  and  is  very  pretty. 

LOOSELY=FLOWERED  GOAT'S  RUE. 

Crcicca  spicata. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pea. 

J'Hr/>lish. 

SccniL-ss. 

Afi. 

\s/ss///i  to  I'loritia 
atid  Delaware. 

Junt-A  ii^iiit. 

Fhnvcrs :  growing  on  sliort,  terminal  and  lateral  loosely-flowered  peduncles. 
Calyx:  with  five  unequal,  pointed  and  silky  lobes.  Corolln  :  jjapilionacetjus,  the 
petals  clawed.  I^ods  :  flat  ;  narrow  ;  on  short  peduncles  ;  finely  jjuhuscent. 
Leaves:  compound  with  small,  pointed  and  densely  pubescent  stipules;  odd-pin- 
nate with  from  nine  t(j  fifteen  oval,  or  obovate  leaflets  with  very  sliort,  hairy 
petiolules,  rounded  at  the  base,  the  apex  terminating  in  a  bristle-tip  ;  entire  ; 
glabrous  above  at  maturity  and  closely  covered  underneath  with  short  hairs.  Stem: 
tlecumbent  ;  one  to  two  feet  long  ;  branched  and  covered  with  long,  brownish 
hairs. 

Something  the  look  of  a  wild  hairy  pea  has  this  goat's  rue,  and  even  so  it 
cannot  be  claitned  to  be  very  pretty.  The  genus  flourishes  most  lu.xuriously 
in  tropical  climates  and  the  best  grown  and  most  attractive  examples  that  I 
have  seen  of  this  particular  species  were  I'n  a  strip  of  pine  woods  near  Jack- 
sonville, Florida.  At  night  the  leaflets  tiu'n  on  their  bases  and  go  to 
sleep. 

C.  Virginidna,  goat's  rue,  cat-gut,  or  hoary  pea,  has  a  range  extending 
from  Florida  to  New  England  and  westward  to  northern  Mexico  and 
Minnesota  and  is  a  much  more  pleasing  individual  than  the  preceding 
species,  as  its  bright  yellow  and  purple  pea-shaped  flowers  are  produced 
abundantly  in  terminal  racemes.  Its  leafage  is  slender  and  a  silvery  glow 
is  cast  over  the  plant  by  the  greyish  tomentum  which  is  apparent  on  nearly 
all  its  parts. 

AMERICAN  WISTARIA.     KIDNEY  BEAN  TREE. 

{Plate  LXXXIII) 
KraiDiJiia  frulcscois. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

l\a. 

Pale  purple. 

l-'r  a  tyrant. 

Ploritla  and  I'ircinia 
and  7Vistward. 

April-June. 

Flcnvers  :  growing  closely  on  pubescent  pedicels  in  large,  terminal  racemes. 
Calyx:  companulate;  two-lipped  or  with  five  unecpial  teeth  ;  purplish  and 
covered    with    a    fine  silvery  pubescence.     Corolla  :    papilionaceous;  the  slandanl 


2  74  THE  PEA  FAMILY. 

clawed,  broad,  reflexed  and  emarginate  at  the  apex.  Wings  :  oblong.  Keel :  in- 
curved. Stanieiis  :  diadelphous,  nine  and  one.  /^t?^/ ;  linear,  tonientose.  Leaves: 
compound  with  long  petioles  enlarged  at  their  bases  ;  odd-pinnate,  with  from  nine 
to  fifteen  oblong,  or  lanceolate  leaflets,  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex  and  mostly 
rounded  at  the  base  ;  entire  ;  usually  slightly  covered  underneath  as  are  the 
petiolules  with  silky  pubescence.  A  woody  vine  becoming  forty  or  fifty  feet 
long. 

As  this,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  our  native  vines,  is  seen  climbing 
over  high  trees  and  other  forms  of  growth,  it  transforms  truly  the  low 
grounds  and  swamps  into  bowers  of  fragrant  loveliness ;  and  on  some  warm 
day  in  April  when  there  is  a  feverish  desire  to  blossom  among  the  Httle 
plants,  it  overhangs  them  in  masses  and  supplants  all  their  efforts  to  be 
gay,  while  also  attracting  to  itself  many  more  than  its  share  of  humble  bee 
lovers.  All  about  their  ceaseless  hum  is  heard  as  they  alight  now  here, 
now  there  among  the  flowers.  When  a  little  petted  and  coaxed  in  cultiva- 
tion the  wistaria's  bunches  of  flowers  greatly  increase  in  size  and  beauty 
over  those  of  the  wild  ones.  In  Japan  similar  vines  are  much  regarded  for 
decorative  effects  and  the  purple  one  as  may  seem  strange  to  us  is  exalted 
in  rank  high  above  the  white  variety. 

LOCUST  TREE.   YELLOW  OR  BLACK  LOCUST. 
FALSE  ACACIA. 

Robinia  Pseudacaci'a. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Fca. 

Cro7iiH,    narr07v  ; 
branches,  erect. 

40-50  or  qofeet. 

Georgia  fiorthward. 

May,  June. 

Bark  :  reddish  brown;  rough  and  broken  in  ridges.  Stipules:  linear  and  later 
often  developing  into  spines.  Leaves :  compound,  with  leaf-stalks  hollowed  at  their 
bases  and  covering  the  buds  of  the  succeeding  year;  odd-pinnate  with  from  eleven 
to  twenty-five  oval  leaflets,  rounded  at  both  ends  and  occasionally  tipped  with  the 
midrib ;  entire  ;  netted-veined  ;  glabrous,  or  when  unfolding  sometimes  sprinkled 
with  a  silvery  pubescence.  Flcnvers  :  white;  fragrant;  growing  in  loose,  axillary 
racemes.  Calyx:  five-toothed.  Corolla:  showy;  papilionaceous,  the  standard 
spotted  with  yellow  at  the  base.  Legumes  :  linear  ;  glabrous  and  containing  from 
four  to  seven  seeds. 

Even  those  with  an  obscure  sense  of  beauty  must  find  something  almost 
intoxicating  in  the  calm,  early  summer  air  heavy  with  the  scent  of  this  tree's 
milk-white  blossoms  ;  and  in  its  graceful  form  which  shows  so  high  a  type 
of  beauty  among  our  deciduous-leaved  trees.  Long  ago  it  was  foretold  that 
it  would  eventually  become  more  common  in  Europe  than  in  its  native  land. 
And  this  is  now  possibly  true,  for  in  Europe  it  is  well  naturalized.  In 
northeastern  America  although  also  at  home  and  very  general  it  is  so 
preyed  on  by  insects  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  protect  it  from  their 
ravages.  In  few  places,  even  in  the  primeval  forest,  is  its  timber  free  from 
their  destruction.     And  in  such  places  where  abundantly  it  thrives  on    the 


..^U' 

^<1" 


"-^^' 


PLATE   LXXXiV.     VIEW   FROM   THE    PATH    UP  GRANDFATHER   MOUNTAIN. 


Part  way  up  the  rocky  path  that  leads  to  the  top  of  Grand- 
father MoiDitain  we  turned  to  face  the  outlying  country^  a  nar- 
row  strip  of  ichich  could  be  seen  through  the  space  between  a 
locust  and  a  buckeye  tree.  The  I'altey  at  our  feet  7aas  deep  and 
appeared  to  rise  until  lost  in  the  opposite  mountains^  spread  out 
as  though  to  form  the  seini-circle  of  an  amphitheatre  77iade  for 
the  greater  scenes  of  worlds.  An  intense  sun  shone.,  as  ivarm  as 
it  had  been  in  7nid-summer  ;  slowly  the  clouds  glided  along  ;  the 
smoke  from  a  saw-mill  arose ;  while.,  against  each  other' s  sides, 
lay  dark  and  grotesque  the  shadows  of  neighbouring  mountains. 
Here  grew  the  silver  fir  and  the  black  spruce,  and  on  the  flat 
rocks  the  sand  myrtle  formed  green  mats  more  thick  tha?i  those 
about  the  rhododendrons  on  Roan's  summit. 
(lxxxivj. 


THE  PEA  FAMILY.  275 

mountain  slopes,  the  natives  secure  its  stems  to  construct  their  log  cabins  as 
its  wood  resists  decay  almost  longer  than  any  other.  Pins  and  tree  nails 
largely  are  made  of  it  and  it  is  greatly  valued  in  ship-building.  Its  unusual 
strength  caused  it  to  appeal  strongly  to  the  Indians  for  the  making  of  their 
bows. 

BOYNTON'S  ROBINIA.     {Plate  LXXXV.) 
Robinia  Boynibni. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pea.  Irregular.  8-15 /iv/.  H igJi  vtountuins  0/  May,  June. 

Nor  til  Carolina. 

Flowers:  showy;  purplish  pink  ;  slightly  if  at  all  fragrant;  growing  on  short 
pubescent  pedicels  in  long  axillary  racemes.  Corolla  :  papilionaceous,  the  stan- 
dard rounded  and  notched  at  the  apex,  the  lateral  lobes  being  narrow.  AWl: 
enclosing  the  stamens.  Stamens  :  ten  ;  diadelphous.  Pistil:  one ;  style,  pubes- 
cent. Leaves:  compound;  odd-pinnate  having  from  nine  to  fifteen  leaflets,  with 
short  pubescent  petiolules  ;  ovate  or  oval,  pointed  or  rounded  at  tiic  apex  and 
rounded  at  the  base,  the  midrib  projecting  a  bristle  ;  entire;  thin;  glabrous  at 
least  in  age.     A  shrub  or  small  tree. 

In  some  primitive  corner  of  the  forest  near  Highlands,  North  Carolina, 
this  comparatively  new  species  of  Robinia  was  found  by  Mr.  Boynton  of  Bilt- 
more  and  is  named  in  his  honour.  Although  it  is  not  a  great  tree  like  the 
locust,  Robinia  pseudacacia,  it  displays  in  its  manner  of  growth  some  of 
the  same  characteristics,  while  its  fiovvers  approach  most  closely  to  those  of 
the  rose  acacia,  Robinia  hispida,  and  yet  are  without  their  most  prominent 
trait,  innumerable  stiff  hairs.  It  therefore  holds  a  place  quite  its  own  and  is 
indeed  a  charming  individual. 

R.  viscbsa,  clammy  locust,  may  be  found  either  as  a  small  slender  tree,  or 
as  a  shrub.  Its  flowers  a  delicate  rose  colour  embower  it  with  loveliness 
although  they  are  without  much  fragrance.  The  claminess  of  the  branchlets 
and  leaf-stalks,  however,  is  the  mark  by  which  the  species  may  best  be 
known.  In  the  high  mountains  through  its  range,  especially  those  of  North 
Carolina,  it  is  abundant  while  elsewhere  it  is  not  common. 

R.  hispida,  rose  acacia,  or  bristly  locust,  is  really  the  moss  locust,  holding 
among  the  acacias  the  same  place  as  the  moss  rose  does  among  roses.  The 
calyxes  of  its  pink  blossoms,  petioles,  and  midribs  of  the  leaves  as  well  as  al- 
most every  available  part  of  the  plant,  are  covered  with  bristles  purplish,  or 
hazy  in  colour  and  which  give  it  an  extremely  odd  and  unusual  look.  It  is 
a  branching,  exquisite  shrub  and  traverses  the  mountains  from  Georgia  to 
Virginia.  In  English  gardens  sometimes  it  is  cultivated  as  a  wall  tree 
where  it  finds  the  warmth  and  protection  from  high  winds  it  requires  to 
attain  its  greatest  beauty.  Occasionally  we  hear  it  erroneously  called  the 
Rose  of  Sharon. 


PLATE  LXXXV.     BOYNTON'S  ROBIN lA.     Rohima  Bovutoni 
(2/6) 


THE  PEA  FAMir.V.  277 

CAROLINA  MILK  VETCH. 

Ashd'i^a/its  Caro/ifi/duus. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

J'ca.  Grccniiih  yellow.  Scentless.  I.ouisia na  ,i,i,l  C.eovf^ht  J iily,  .1  u t:uit . 

iiort/noiiyil. 

Flcnucrs  :  growing  densely  in  Itjiig  pedunclcd,  axillary  si)ikcs.  Calyx:  tubular, 
with  fine,  slender,  pointed  teeth.  Corolla:  papilionaceous,  the  standard  sligiuly 
erect  and  clawed  as  the  other  petals.  Staimns  :  diadelphous,  nine  and  one. 
/.iXicnics :  erect;  inflated,  tipped  with  a  point  and  containing  numerous  seeds'; 
thick;  glabrous.  Lcavcs :  with  petioles  and  lanceolate,  nienibraneous  stipules; 
odd-pinnate  with  numerous  long  oval,  or  elliptical  kalkls,  entire,  thin.  Stem] 
erect,  often  ascending;  branched;  leafy. 

Along-  streams  the  dark  gfeen  foliage  of  the  Carcjlina  milk  vetch  appears 
often  vigorotis  and  handsome,  but  the  bloom  although  interesimg  is  not 
over  prone  to  catch  the  eye.  As  well  as  greenish  yellow  it  sometimes  occurs 
w^hite  and  tinged  with  purple. 

A.  Tcuncssccnsis,  Tennessee  milk  vetch,  from  that  state  to  Missouri, 
bears  its  flowers  in  short,  thick  racemes  and  is  further  known  by  its  abini- 
dance  of  villous  hairs.  The  pods  moreover  are  pubescent,  wrinkled  and 
much  curved  at  the  apex. 


POINTED=LEAVED  TICK=TREFOIL.     {Plate  LX XXV I) 

Meibhinia  i^randijlora. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pea.  Purple.  Scentless.  I-'lotida  to  (Juc/'CC.  J ii ne-Septcininr. 

Flowers  :  growing  in  a  long,  terminal  jxuiicle  the  i)cduncle  of  which  arises 
from  the  summit  of  the  stem  where  the  leaves  are  crowded.  Calyx-tii/u- :  short, 
the  five  teeth  connected  so  as  to  form  two  lips.  Corolla  :  pai)ilionaceous. 
Legtinies :  jointed  twice  or  thrice,  not  constricted  above.  Leaves:  growing  in  a 
cluster  at  the  summit  of  the  stem  and  having  small  stipules;  three-foliate;  the 
leaflets  broadly  ovate,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  squared  or  rounded  at  the  base; 
entire;  glabrous  or  somewhat  pubescent  on  both  sides;  the  terminal  leaflet  con- 
siderably larger  than  the  other  two.     Stej?is:  erect. 

It  seems  to  be  the  natural  tendency  of  some  plants  to  diffuse  them.selves 
over  as  much  of  the  earth's  surface  as  possible  ;  and  in  attaining  this  desi- 
deratum there  is  probably  no  cleverer  family  than  the  Meibomias.  In  fact 
their  various,  and  often  unscrupulous  ways  of  aggrandizing  themselves  has 
been  commented  upon  most  freely.  They  use  the  instrument  nearest  at 
hand,  so  waste  no  time  in  discrimination.  Their  loments.  or  jointed  pods 
are  roughened  on  their  surfaces  and  cling  with  tenacity  to  almost  anything 
which  will  carry  them  free  of  expense  to  a  good  distance.  As  an  illustra- 
tion of  their  ways  I  noticed  at  Wolf-Creek,  Tennessee,  that  there  came 
down  to  meet  the  train  what  might  have  been  uiiagined   to  be  a   mottled 


PLATE   LXXXVI.     POINTED-LEAVED  TICK-TREFOIL.     Meibomia  grandijlora. 


THE  PEA  FAMILY.  279 

black  and  yellow  doc^.  So  completely,  however,  was  his  back  and  legs 
covered  with  the  meibomia's  seeds  that  he  looked  to  be  a  vc;^^etable  dog. 
The  poor  creature,  never  the  Vere  de  Vere  type,  was  thus  made  fairly  ri- 
diculous, but  as  he  rolled  himself  over  and  over  again  in  the  grass  to  shake 
them  off,  he  performed  very  well  the  act  of  sowing  the  seed. 

The  genus  is  a  large  one  including  many  species,  but  a  lack  of  space  for- 
bids entering  many  of  them  here.  Nearly  all  are  serviceable  in  making 
domestic  dyes. 

AT.  itiidiflbra,  naked-flowered  tick-trefoil,  is  known  by  its  rather  small 
flowers  growing  in  a  terminal  panicle  borne  on  a  long,  naked  peduncle 
which  arises  from  the  base  of  the  plant.  Its  leaves  at  the  summit  of  a  sepa- 
rate stem  are  composed  of  broadly  oval,  or  ovate  leaflets,  glabrous  or  slightly 
pubescent  on  both  sides.     The  legumes  are  not  constricted  above. 

PROSTRATE  TICK=TREFOIU 

Meibbmia   Michauxii. 

FAMILY  COLOUR         ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF    BLOOM 

Pt'ci.  Picrplc.         Scentless.         Florida  and  Louisiana  northward.        July-September. 

Flcnvers  :  growing  in  loose  terminal  and  axillary  panicles.  Calyx  :  five-cleft, 
the  lobes  ciliate.  Corolla  :  papilionaceous.  Legume:  three  to  five  jointed,  both 
margins  constricted.  Leaves:  three-foliate  with  ovate  stipules,  the  leaflets 
rounded,  pubescent.     Stem:  prostrate  ;  pubescent  or  villous. 

The  peculiarity  most  noticeable  about  this  meibomia  and  the  one  which 
follows  is  that  they  trail  along  the  ground,  often  covering  good  sized  areas 
with  mats  of  green,  or  brightened  here  and  there  by  panicles  of  purple 
flowerso  Their  leaves  are  greedily  eaten  by  cattle,  and  it  is  possible  that  the 
species  possess  valuable  qualities  as  forage  plants. 

M.  arcnicola,  sand  tick-trefoil,  grows  from  Florida  not  further  northward 
than  Maryland  and  is  an  attractive,  trailing  species  which  bears  its  flowers 
in  long,  terminal  and  axillary  racemes.  Its  small  leaflets  are  rounded  and 
thick,  and  along  both  margins  the  loment  is  constricted. 

M.  stricta,  stiff  tick-trefoil,  a  species  of  the  pine  barrens,  extending  from 
Florida  and  Alabama  to  New  Jersey,  belongs  to  the  group  of  meibomias 
which  grow  with  upright  stems.  Its  flowers  are  rather  sparingly  borne  in 
panicles  with  spreading  branches  and  the  leaflets  are  narrowly  linear, 
strongly  reticulated,  thick  and  rather  blunt  at  the  apex.  From  one  to 
three  times  the  loment  is  jointed  and  concave  along  its  back. 

M.  caiiescejis,  hoary  tick-trefoil,  also  belonging  to  the  group  of  upright 
growers,  may  further  be  known  by  its  unusually  large  ovate  and  yellowish 
green  leaflets,  acute  or  obtuse  at  their  apices.  As  are  the  stems  and  peti- 
oles they  are  noticeably  covered  with  a  rough  pubescence.  The  flowers 
are  pretty,  quite  large  and  develop  loments  with  from  three  to  six  joints. 


28o 


THE  PEA  FAMILY. 


AI.  laevigdta,  smooth  tick-trefoil,  may  be  distinguished  from  the  preceding 
species  by  its  smaller  leaflets,  smooth  on  both  sides  and  glaucous  under- 
neath.    Its  panicle  also  has  not  very  widely  diffused  branches. 


TRAILING   BUSH=CLOVER. 

Lcspedcza    procunibens. 


FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR 

Pea.  Fiirplisk  />ink  ScC/i^/fss. 

or  violet  purple. 


RANGE 

Florida  to  Massachu- 
setts a  ltd  ivcstiva  rd. 


TIME  OF    BLOOM 

A  ugiist, 
September. 


PetalifcroHs  flcnoers:  growing  in  clusters  on  pubescent  peduncles  which  are 
longer  than  the  leaves.  Calyx:  with  nearly  equal  lobes.  Corolla:  papili- 
onaceous, the  banner  petal  obovate,  clawed,  pointed  at  the  apex.  Stamens : 
nine  and  one,  diadelphous,  Apetalons  flowers  :  small,  intermingled  or  in  sub- 
sessile  little  clusters  along  the  branches.  Pods  :  flat,  pubescent  and  bearing  one 
seed.  Leaves  :  with  short  petioles  and  small  stipules,  three-foliate,  the  leaflets 
small  oval,  or  elliptical,  blunt  at  the  apex  and  mostly  rounded  at  the  base  ;  en- 
tire; pubescent  underneath.  Stem:  long;  procumbent  with  ascending  branches; 
woolly  or  soft  downy. 

While  the  trailing  bush  clover  has  a  look  very  like  some  of  the  meibomia 
tribe  there  are  others  of  the  genus,  the  wandlike  one,  for  instance,  which 
have  an  altogether  different  and  individual  personality,  and  by  no  means 
are  they  all  beautiful.  A  peculiar  trait  of  the  genus  is  that  it  bears  two 
sorts  of  flowers  along  the  branches  ;  the  showy  ones  with  petals  which  are 
perfect  but  seldom,  if  ever,  fruitful,  and  others  without  petals,  looking  in- 
significant but  which  are  very  useful,  being  extremely  fertile.  Again  from 
the  meibomias  these  plants  may  be  known  by 
their  pods,  they  being  composed  of  but  one 
joint,  and  containing  a  single  seed.  It  was  in 
honour  of  Lespedez,  a  patron  of  Michaux  and 
at  one  time  Governor  of  Florida,  that  the  gen- 
eric name  was  bestowed. 

L.  violdcecE,  bush-clover,  has  an  ascending, 
branched  stem  and  bears  its  flowers  in  a  loose 
panicled  inflorescence,  the  petaliferous  ones  of 
which  are  small  and  grow  on  thread-like  ped- 
icels. Its  oval  or  obovate  leaflets  vary  in  size 
greatly. 

L.frutescens,  wandlike  bush-clover,  becomes 
in  the  late  summer,  or  early  autumn  a  very  con- 
spicuous    plant,    as  it    raises  through   wooded 
places  its    long,   full    clusters 
of  pinkish  and  almost  sessile| 


Lcspedeza  prociDiibens, 


THE  PEA  FAMILY.  281 

bloom.  Very  closely  herein  do  both  sorts  of  flowers  grow  and  the  in- 
florescence has  therefore  an  uneven  rather  unkempt  look.  The  Icalkts  are 
very  abundant  and  nearly  glabrous. 

L.  capitaia,  round-headed  bush-clover,  a  tall,  wccdy-looking  individual, 
is  rather  unusual  in  that  it  bears  but  one  sort  of  flower  which  is  complete. 
In  rounded  or  oblong  heads,  growing  on  pubescent  peduncles  or  sessile 
from  the  upper  axils,  a  number  of  them  are  grouped  together  and  as  their 
corolla  is  yellow  with  a  purple  spot  at  the  base  of  the  standard,  the  plant 
could  not  well  be  confused  with  any  of  the  preceding  species.  The  three- 
foliate  leaves  are  nearly  sessile,  the  leaflets  oblong  or  orbicular  and  covered 
with  silky  white  hairs,  at  least  on  the  lower  side. 

Chapjiidnnla    Floridana. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

rtii.  Ye  I  low.  Scentless.  M  it/die  Florida.  April-.\ui;ust. 

Fhnvers:  of  two  sorts  growing  in  terminal  racemes.  Calyx  :  of  the  sterile  ones 
unequally  five  cleft,  the  lowest  tooth  longest  and  remote  from  the  others. 
Corolla  :  inserted  on  the  throat  of  the  calyx.  Keel:  cleft  at  the  apex.  Stamens  : 
ten,  monodeli)hous.  Lei^nwies:  one  to  four  jointed,  contracted  at  the  joints  and 
covered  with  soft  bristles.  Leaves:  odd-pinnate,  with  from  three  to  seven  oblong 
or  obovate  leaflets,  pointed  or  rounded  at  the  ai)ex  and  mostlv  tapering  at  the 
base;  entire;  hairy  below  at  least  when  young.  Sterns:  slender;  two  lo  Uiree 
feet  high,  viscid  and  hirsute. 

This  leafy  and  much  branched  little  plant  which  early  in  the  morning 
blooms  through  the  dry  pine  barrens  of  middle  Florida,  produces  as  the 
bush-clovers  two  sorts  of  flowers  in  its  inflorescence.  The  sterile  ones,  while 
their  petals  last,  are  quite  showy,  but  the  other  ones  are  plain  and  have 
neither  petals  nor  stamens.  They  are  simply  abundantly  fertile.  The 
plant,  the  only  one  of  its  genus,  commemorates  Dr.  Chapman  whose  love 
and  work  among  the  southern  flora  and  his  many  excellent  deeds  have 
caused  it  to  be  written  of  him  :  "The  passing  of  Dr.  Chapman  is  to  this 
community  like  the  fall  of  a  mighty  oak  which  leaves  the  landscape  deso- 
late." 

CAROLINA  VETCH. 

Vicia  Caroliniiina. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Pea. 

n-hiie. 

Scentless. 

Ceors^iii  a  ;/</  North 
Carolina  anil  west'ward. 

May-Ju:^. 

Flo7vers  :  small,  growing  in  racemes  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves.  Ciilyx  :  short, 
five-toothed.  Corolla  :  papilionaceous,  the  standard  upright,  and  the  keel  tipped 
with  blue.  Pods:  about  an  inch  long,  ]>ointed  ;  glabrous.  Leaves  :  comjmund, 
with  very  short  stalks  and  having  a  jiair  of  small  stipules  at  their  bases,  |)innate, 
terminating  in  a  tendril,  the  leaflets  small,  eight  to  eighteen,  oblong,  or  linear- 
oblong,  rounded  at  the  base  ;  entire.  A  slender  vine  trailing  or  clindnng  by  uR-ans 
of  leaf-tendrils. 


282  THE  PEA  FAMILY. 

Commonly  in  summer  we  come  across  the  vetches,  always  either  trailing 
or  climbing  by  means  of  their  long,  strong  tendrils.  This  particular  one 
grows  abundantly  in  open  woods  in  the  mountains  and  on  cliffs,  or  rocks 
along  the  river's  shore. 

V.  sativa,  common  vetch  or  tare,  is  seen  occasionally  through  our  fields 
and  pastures  and  has  come  to  us  from  Europe  where  it  is  cultivated  as 
fodder  for  cattle.  That  many  of  its  obovate  leaflets  are  deeply  notched  at 
the  apex  and  that  but  one  or  two  almost  sessile  flowers  grow  in  the  leaves' 
axils  are  marks  by  which  it  may  be  known.  Furthermore  its  corolla  is  pur- 
plish blue. 

Eryt/irma  herbacea  {Plate  LXXX  VII.) 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Fea. 

Scarlt'i. 

Scentless. 

Florida  to  North 
Carolina  and  westward. 

Aj>ril,  May. 

Floxvers  :  showy,  produced  in  long  racemes.  Catyx  :  tubular,  the  teeth  un- 
developed. Vexilhim :  very  long,  lanceolate,  folded  lengthwise.  Wings  and 
keel:  small.  Stamens :  somewhat  exserted.  Pods :  long,  curved,  contracted  at 
intervals  and  containing  bright  scarlet,  lustrous  seeds.  Leaves:  borne  on  long 
smooth  petioles  which  bear  one,  or  a  few  small  recurved  prickles;  three-foliate, 
the  leaflets  long  pointed,  broadly  ovate  or  hastate,  are  petiolate,  entire,  glabrous 
or  nearly  so.  Stems :  two  to  four  feet  high  or  more,  prickly,  several  arising  from 
a  large  thick  root. 

Only  those  that  have  seen  this  curious  plant  can  fully  appreciate  how  fan- 
tastic are  its  flowers,  how  strangely  shaped  its  leaves  and  how  beautiful  its 
pod's  scarlet  seeds.  Among  all  other  growing  things  it  enchains  us  and  we 
pause  longer  than  our  wont  to  marvel  at  nature's  great  floral  pageant  wherein 
no  detail  is  lost,  nothing  is  insignificant.  What  a  surprise  lurks  in  this  very 
colouring  of  the  Erythrinas  seeds  !  Released  from  their  pods  they  are  as 
startling  as  Mephistopheles  throwing  off  the  shade  of  night.  As  they  fall 
on  light  sandy  soil,  we  pick  them  up,  little  dreaming  perhaps  that  under 
their  lustrous,  smooth  surface  is  hidden  the  miniature  plant  of  the  next  sea- 
son. 

BUTTERFLY    PEA. 

Clin  tori  a  Ma  ria  n  a . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

/'ea.  Fale  lavender.  Fragrant.  Florida  to  North  JMay-Augiist. 

Jersey  aud  "westward. 

Flowers  :  large  ;  showy  ;  solitary  or  a  few  borne  on  a  short  peduncle.  Calyx  : 
tubular,  expanding  at  the  apex ;  five-toothed.  Corolla  :  papilionaceous,  the 
standard  very  much  larger  than  the  other  petals,  erect,  broadly  ovate,  notched  at 
the  apex.  Stamens:  ten,  monodelphous.  Style:  bearded.  Pods.:  long;  ap- 
pearing late  in  the  season.  Leaves  :  with  long  smooth  petioles  and  small  stipules 
at  their  bases;  three-foliate,  the  leaflets  also  stalked  and  with  stipels,  ovate- 
lanceolate  or  oblong-lanceolate,  bluntly  pointed  and  mucronate  at  the  apex, 
rounded  at  the  base,  entire  dark  green  above,  lighter  below,  glabrous.  Stem  :  as- 
cending or  twining;  smooth, 


PLATE  LXXXVII.     Ervthrina  hcrhacca. 
(283) 


284  THE  PEA  FAMILY. 

In  dry  soil  in  many  a  mountain  woods,  or  even  hugging  closely  a  steep 
hillside,  the  butterfly  pea  seems  almost  too  delicate  and  chaste  a  blossom  to 
be  disputing  the  soil  with  hoary  mints,  aggressive  coreopses  and  the  close 
and  interwoven  growth  of  rhododendrons  long  since  past  their  bloom,  but 
which  make  up  the  conglomerate  leafage  of  midsummer.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, it  finds  a  soft  patch  of  ferns  to  rest  against  and  then  has  truly  a  petted 
and  cultivated  air.  Its  large,  banner  petal  of  palest  lavender  hoists  from 
afar  a  signal  to  its  butterfly  lovers  and  furthermore  to  please  their  suscepti- 
bilities it  exhales  a  faint  and  very  sweet  perfume. 

GROUND  NUT. 

Apios  Apios. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME   OF    BLOOM 

Fea. 

Dull  pur J>le. 

Flagrant. 

Florida  and 
Louisiana  northward. 

July-September. 

Flozvers  :  growing  closely  in  short,  axillary  racemes.  Calyx:  campanulate; 
slightly  two-lipped.  Corolla:  papilionaceous;  the  lateral  petals  enclosing  the 
stamens  and  keel.  Stamens  :  diadelphous,  nine  and  one.  Style  :  slender.  Pods: 
linear  ;  slightly  curving  and  containing  many  seeds.  Leaves:  with  slender,  slightly 
pubescent  petioles;  odd-pinnate  with  from  five  to  seven  ovate,  or  ovate-lanceolate 
leaflets,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  mostly  rounded  at  the  base;  entire  ;  thin  ;  glabrate. 
A  slender,  twining  vine,     Rootstock  ;  tuberous;  edible. 

After  the  majority  of  other  flowers  have  vanished  this  pretty  little  thing 
throws  out  its  dense  clusters  of  dull  purple  flowers,  quite  velvety  within  and 
which  are  as  sweetly  fragrant  as  violets.  Their  colour  is  peculiar,  but  still 
they  are  very  ornamental  and  especially  so  when  surrounded  by  the  light 
green  foliage.  The  stem  contains  a  milky  juice  and  the  small  pear-like 
tubers  are  said  to  be  edible.  It  may  be,  however,  as  Dr.  Gray  said  about 
the  May  apple's  fruit,  that  they  are  eaten  by  pigs  and  boys. 


THE  GERANIUM  FAMILY. 

GerajiidcecE. 

Herbs  with  forked  ste7?is,  alternate^  or  opposite,  pahnately-lobed  leaves 
and  ?'egiilar,  perfect  Jlowers  growing  axillary  and  solitary,  or  in  clusters. 


THE  GERANIUM  FAMILY.  2S5 

WILD  GERANIUM.     SPOTTED  CRANE'S  BILL. 

Geranium  fnaat/aiuni. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE                 TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Geranium. 

Furplisk  pink. 

Scentless, 

Georgia   to  jJissonri         .i />ri!J uiy. 
and  tiorthward. 

Flowers:  solitary,  or  a  few  growing  in  unihcllalc  clusters  and  borne  at  the  ends 
of  distinct  peduncles.  Calyx  :  with  five,  oblong,  pointed  sepals.  Corolla:  with 
five,  rounded  petals.  Stamens:  ten,  five  of  winch  are  longer  than  the  others. 
Pistil:  one;  styles  five.  Leaves:  from  the  base  and  two  from  the  stem, 
with  long,  rather  rough  petioles,  palniately  divided  into  three  to  seven  segments] 
the  divisions  notched  and  acutely  lobed  at  their  apices,  rather  rough  above,  the 
under  surface  with  white  hairs  along  the  veins.  Stetn:  forked  at  the  summit  ;  one 
to  two  feet  high;  hairy.     Rootstocks  ;  thick. 

Often  in  places  thick  with  green  we  find  in  early  spring  tlie  wild  gcraniiini 
putting  forth  its  delicately  tinted  bloom.  Not  far  away  perliaj)s  the  marsh 
marigold  gleams  vividly  gold  by  the  brook's  side,  or  thrcnigh  the  fields 
a  mass  of  wild  horse  radish  flowers  are  blowing,  and  still  it  lingers 
until  the  wild  orchids  of  its  neighbourhood  have  had  their  day.  As  its 
leaves  grow  old  they  turn  to  yellow,  or  become  blotched  and  spotted  with 
white,  which  peculiarity  in  connection  with  the  long  crane-like  beak  of  its 
young  carpels  is  the  significance  of  one  of  its  English  names.  Country  peo- 
ple also  call  it  alum  root  in  reference  to  that  part's  bitter  flavour. 

G.  Carolinianiun,  Carolina  crane's  bill,  differs  from  its  relative  in  that  it 
is  an  annual  and  grows  in  fields  and  abundantly  in  abandoned  waste  places. 
Its  pubescence  also  is  more  strongly  marked  and  the  segments  of  its  smaller 
leaves  are  more  bluntly  lobed.  Two  pale  purple  flowers  grow  from  the 
ends  of  the  peduncles,  their  petals  only  about  equalling  in  length  the  sepals. 


THE  WOOD=SORREL  FAHILY. 

OxalidacecE. 

A?mualj  bienjiial  or  perennial  JiC7-hs  wilh  sour  fit  ice  and  cither  acau- 
leseefif^  or  leafy  stems  arising  from  bulbs  or  scaly  or  fibrous  rootstocks. 
Leaves :  three  foliate  in  our  species,  the  leaflets  being  mostly  oluonlate. 
Floioers  :  perfect ;  solitary,  or  growing  in  cynics,  the  petals  cither  white, 
yellow,  pink  or  puiple. 


286  THE  WOOD-SORREL  FAMILY. 

GREAT  YELLOW  WOOD=SORREL.     {^Plate  LXXXVIII.) 
Ox  alls  grdndis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Wood-sorrel.  Yellow.  Scentless,         North  Carolina  and  Tennessee         May-August. 

northward. 

Flcnvers :  growing  in  terminal,  erect  cymes  with  thread-like  pedicels  bracted  at 
their  bases.  Calvx:  with  five,  oblong,  often  ciliate  sepals,  /'-f/^/j  :  five,  long ; 
squared  or  rounded  at  their  apices.  Stamens:  ten,  five  being  long  and  five  short, 
monodelphous  at  the  base.  Styles  :  five,  hairy.  Leaves:  with  long,  pubescent 
petioles,  the  three  leaflets  broadly  obcordate,  somewhat  unequal  in  size,  sparingly 
ciliate ;  bright  green  and  lustrous  ;  thin.  Stem  :  one  to  four  feet  high  ;  leafy  ; 
rigid;  pubescent. 

In  the  hollows  of  bare  and  often  unsympathetic  looking  places  along  the 
river's  banks,  this  great  one  of  the  Oxalis  tribe  forms  often  thick  and 
rounded  clumps  of  its  clover-like  leaves,  and  throws  out  its  cheery-coun- 
tenanced little  blossoms.  They  always  seem  fresh  and  wide  awake,  per- 
haps because  in  accordance  with  the  old  maxim  they  so  early  in  the  evening 
fold  their  leaflets  together  and  then  unfold  them  with  the  very  first  gleam  of 
morning  sun.  Included  in  the  genus  are  fully  two  hundred  and  fifty  species, 
of  which  the  greater  number  are  partial  to  a  warm,  tropical  climate. 

O.  stricta,  lady's  sorrel,  or  upright  yellow  wood-sorrel,  an  erect  and 
branching  species,  puts  out  an  abundance  of  pale,  bluish  green  leaflets  so 
sensitive  to  the  touch  that  they  close  even  when  handled  but  slightly.  Its 
fragrant,  yellow  flowers,  tinted  with  red  at  their  petals'  bases,  are  rather 
small  and  grow  in  terminal,  umbel-like  cymes. 

O.  reciirva,  large-flowered  wood- sorrel,  which  by  some  was  thought  to 
be  the  same  as  Oxalis  stricta,  is  now  recognised  as  a  distinct,  delicate  species, 
— one  described  long  ago  by  Stephen  Elliott.  It  bears  yellow  flowers  ;  the 
stems  and  pedicels  are  villous  ;  while  by  the  erect,  or  spreading  capsules  are 
distinctly  projected  the  five  styles. 

O.  cymbsa,  tall  yellow-sorrel,  would  probably  always  be  known  as  a  wood- 
sorrel  by  its  large,  obcordate  leaflets.  Sometimes  it  grows,  however,  to  the 
astonishing  height  of  four  feet.  But  slightly  hairy  are  its  stems  and  pedi- 
cels while  its  yellow  flowers  are  very  small  and  borne  in  branching  cymes. 

O.  violacea,  violet  wood-sorrel,  one  of  the  dearest  of  the  deep  wood's 
plants,  sends  up  its  leaves  and  flowering  scapes  from  a  pinkish  bulb,  and 
produces  flowers  that  are  either  violet,  or  white,  tinted  with  violet.  Only 
rarely,  however,  are  they  pure  white.  It  grows  usually  from  eight  to  ten 
inches  and  is  rather  chary  of  its  foliage  which  throughout  is  glabrous. 
Often  as  late  as  November,  when  the  days  are  warm, 'it  comes  again  into  full 
bloom.     The  scapes  of  this  species  bear  several  flowers. 


/ 


l;>V' 


PLATE    LXXXVII 


GREAT  YELLOW  WOOD-SORREL.     OxjIis  grjnJis. 


288  THE  WOOD-SORREL  FAMILY. 

O.  Acetosella,  white  wood-sorrel,  is  one  of  the  family  with  which,  on 
account  of  its  many  common  names  and  frequent  reference  by  authors,  we 
are  all  perhaps  familiar.  In  some  places  even  it  is  known  by  the  delightful 
name  of  "  Alleluia.  '  Its  delicate,  campanulate,  white  or  more  often  pink 
flowers  with  their  purple  or  magenta  veinings  are  borne  singly  on  scapes 
that  arise  from  a  scaly,  creeping  rootstock  and  lift  them  slightly  above  the 
leaves.  Of  these  latter  the  leaflets  are  large  and  beautifully  shaped,  while 
the  stems  show  a  covering  of  purplish  hairs.  Often  among  them  one  is 
seen  turning  to  a  solid  reddish  purple.  Through  Tennessee  the  plant  is  only 
found  on  the  tops  of  the  Big  Smokies  while  on  the  upper  slopes  of  the  Craggies 
in  North  Carolina  it  grows  mostly  under  the  shade  of  the  Rhododendrons, 
That  it  is  well  beloved  is  shown  by  its  numerous  and  often  amusing  appella- 
tions :  "  Cuckoo's  meat  "  and  "  shamrock  "  being  among  the  most  general. 
In  England  it  is  called  the  shamrock,  although  not  at  all  supposed  to  be 
the  original  one  of  Saint  Patrick.  For  chemists  it  yields  "  salts  of  lemons," 
Besides  having  the  characters  above,  the  plant  bears,  as  do  many  violets, 
cleistogamous  flowers  at  its  base  ;  those  insignificant  ones  which  make  no 
great  showing  and  yet  carry  on  their  shoulders  much  of  the  responsibility 
of  continuing  their  race. 


THE  FLAX  FAMILY. 

Linacecu, 

Mostly  herbs  with  si7nple,  opposite,  or  alternate,  entire  leaves  and 
perfect,  regular  flowers  which  grow  iii  racemes,  cymes,  or  panicles ;  their 
parts  beitig  i?i  divisions  of  fours,  or  fives  a?id  their  fila7fie?its  monodel- 
phous  at  the  bases. 

FLORIDA  YELLOW  FLAX. 

Lhium  Floridanum. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Flax.  Yelloiv.         Scentless.  Florida  to  Louisiana  7torthward.        June-August. 

Flowers  :  small  ;  growing  in  a  much-branched  corymbose  inflorescence.  Calyx: 
persistent  with  five  pointed  sepals.  Petals  :  ^\ie  Stafuens :  five.  Styles :  ^\&. 
C(^7/j«/^  .•  ovoid-ovate.  Seeds  :  oxX'j.  Leaves:  ?,Xi\2i\\,  appressed,  one-half  to  one 
inch  long,  the  uppermost  alternate;  linear  or  linear-lanceolate,  pointed  at  the 
apex  and  sessile  at  the  base;  smooth.      Stem  :  erect,  slender,  smooth. 

This  pretty  native  flax  with  its  slender,  leafy  stem  and  gay  little  flowers, 
reminds  us  somewhat    of   an  exquisitely    tufted    grass.     In  the  far  south  it 


THE  FLAX  FAMILY.  289 

grows  in  low  pine  barrens  where  we  cannot  but  aiisociaic  with  it  a  liiiie  of 
the  fame  of  its  old  world  relative.  For  from  almost  time  immemorial 
members  of  the  genus  have  been  cultivated  for  their  line  fibre  and  oil.  No 
one  indeed  can  name  a  date  so  distant  as  when  Linum  usitatissimum  was 
introduced  into  Egypt.  Tha  linen  made  from  it  was  one  of  the  features  of 
luxury  and  also  a  great  source  of  wealth.  Priests  in  the  temple  wore  it 
instead  of  woollens  because  it  was  more  distasteful  to  vermin.  One  of 
Isaiah's  strong  denunciations,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  that  "  the  Fgypliau 
workers  of  fine  flax  should  be  confounded." 

L.  Virginidmim,  wild  flax,  or  slender  yellow  flax,  occurs  from  Florida 
northward  along  shaded  waysides,  or  in  many  wet  places.  It  also  i)ears  yel- 
low flowers,  rather  small  and  which  grow  in  leafy,  corymbose  panicles.  A 
good  deal  branched  is  the  stem  near  its  summit  and  when  many  small  cap- 
sules are  scattered  among  the  lanceolate  and  bright  green  sjireading  leaves 
it  has  more  than  ever  the  appearance  of  an  open,  seedy  grass. 


THE  CALTROP  FAMILY. 

Zygophyllacac. 

A  family  including  tropical  trees  with  7iotably  hard  7UOod,  and  shrubs 
and  herbs  with  mostly  opposite^  pinnate,  or  tiao  to  three  foliate,  stipulate 
leaves  and  regular^  perfect  flowers  which  have  their  stajuens  inserted  on 
the  receptacle. 

LIGNUM=VIT^  TREE.  {Plate  LXXXIX.) 
Guaiacuni  sanctum. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

CaUrop.         Cro-tun  rounded :  brafiches        20-2,0  feet.         Keys  0/ Florida.  .If-ii.'. 

drooping. 

Bark:  grey,  almost  white,  separating  into  small  scales.  Brnnctn's :  ioxVc^, 
swollen  at  the  nodes,  pubescent  when  young.  Zt'^r^^J  .*  with  broadly  acuminate, 
l^ointed  stipules;  abruptly  pinnate  with  from  six  to  ten  pairs  of  ohli(iucly  «)l)Iong, 
sessile  leaflets,  entire,  pubescent  when  young  and  becoming  at  maturity  glabrous 
and  lustrous  on  both  sides  ;  thick,  lasting  over  the  winter.  Fttnofrs  :  blue  ;  soli- 
tary or  usually  a  few  together,  growing  on  j^ubescent  jiecluncles  at  the  end  of  the 
branches  and  from  the  axils  of  the  uppermost  leaves.  Ci/vx  :  with  five  deciduous 
sepals,  their  divisions  unecpial  and  slightly  pubescent  on  the  outer  surface. 
Pc-id/s  :  five,  obovate.  StanwHs  ;  ten;  filaments,  naked.  Fruit :  obovate  ;  orange- 
colour  ;  the  valves  somewhat  fleshy. 

It    seems  as    though  the  very  air  had  turned  to  azure  of  an  iiitenscncss 

almost    felt  when  this  small  tree  takes  advantage  of   the  warm,  hazy  air  of 


29<^  THE  CALTROP  FAMILY. 

early  spring  to  cover  itself  with  blue  blossoms.  Even  those  that  are  under 
its  skeleton  screen  of  unfolding  leaves  have  a  way  of  peeping  out  in  un- 
expected places  and  thus  adding  to  the  strangeness  of  seeing  flowers  of 
their  hue  so  abundantly  spread  through  a  tree's  crown.  The  almost  white 
bark  of  the  tree  reminds  us  a  little  of  that  of  the  white  oak  as  it  separates 
also  into  small  scales.  Comparatively  few  of  us  know  this  beautiful  indi- 
vidual as  belonging  to  our  silva,  for  its  area  is  very  limited  and  even  through 
its  range  it  is  not  abundant.  For  this  reason  its  wood  while  notably  hard  and 
heavy  and  of  similar  excellent  quality  has  not  the  commercial  importance  of 
the  wood  from  the  Bahama  Islands,  the  source  of  the  lignum  vitse  of  com- 
merce. 

An  interesting  prostrate  herb  of  the  Caltrop  family  is  Tribulus  cistoides, 
caltrop,  which  makes  its  home  about  waste  places  at  Key  West,  Florida. 
Here  its  large,  yellow  flowers  blow  open,  and  are  also  seen  its  small,  yellow- 
green  leaflets  with  their  soft,  silky  white  under-coating.  In  cultivation  the 
plant  increases  greatly  in  size  and  attains  considerable  beauty. 

Kallstrkmia  rndxima,  greater  caltrop,  may  be  mentioned  as  representing 
the  third  genus  of  this  family.  At  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  for  one  place,  it 
grows  about  dooryards,  and  blossoms  in  September,  or  even  as  early  as 
April.  It  is  a  hairy  herb  and  much  resembles  the  preceding  plant  in  habit. 
Its  small  flowers  also  are  deep  yellow.  On  a  first  glance,  in  fact,  if  one 
would  exclude  the  flowers  it  might  suggest  some  members  of  the  pea  family. 

THE  RUE  FAHILY. 

Riitaccce, 

TreeSj  shrubs^  or  herbs  with  heavy  see?ited,  simple,  or  compound, 
alternate  or  opposite  leaves  and  regular,  perfect  or  imperfect  flowers^  their 
stamens  equalling,  or  double  the  number  of  the  petals  and  inserted  on  the 
receptacle. 

TOOTHACHE=TREE.    SOUTHERN  PRICKLY  ASH.    PEPPER- 
WOOD.  {Plate  XC) 
Xanthoxylum  Clava-Hdrculis. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Rue. 

Round-headed. 

20-45  fi^et. 

Florida  to   Virginia 
and  westward. 

April-June. 

Bark:  at  least  of  the  branches  l:)eset  with  numerous  prickles,  pungent.  Leaves: 
alternate;  odd-pinnate  with  tliorny  leaf  stalks  and  from  five  to  seventeen  ovate,  or 
lanceolate  leaflets,  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded  or  tapering  at  the  base, 


^ 


1 


/i 


PLATE   LXXXIX.      LIGNUM-VIT/E.      Cnaiiuti»i  sa,iitinn. 

COPYRIGHT.    1901,    BV  FREDERICK    A     STOKES   COMPANY 
PRINTED   IN   AMERICA 


%x  //__  ^ 


PLATE  XC.     TOOTHACHE-TREE.     X.intlwxrhnn   CLn^^-H^'cuUs. 


292 


THE  RUE  FAMILY. 


jnequally  serrate,  or  crenate,  smooth  and  emitting  when  crushed  a  peculiar  scent. 
Flotvers  :  small,  greenish  white,  growing  in  ternunal,  compound  cymes.  Sepals: 
small,  four  to  live.  Petals:  four  to  hve.  Staniinate  Jlowers  :  with  four  or  five 
stamens.  Carpels  :  ovoid,  one-seeded,  opening  in  halves  and  releasing  the  black, 
shiny  seeds,  which  hang  outside  after  maturity. 

Sometime  after  the  leaves  unfold  innumerable  little  greenish  yellow  flowers 
enliven  the  look  of  this  small  tree.  They  are  not  at  all  showy,  nor  hand- 
some, but  then  the  greater  number  of  trees  are  rather  modest  in  the  matter 
of  their  blossoms.  Once,  however,  let  an  interest  be  kindled  in  tree 
blossoms  and  the  eyes  are  alert  to  seek  them  even  when  encouraged  by  a 
few  warm  days  in  February.  A  curious  feature  also  to  be  noticed  about 
this  particular  one  is  its  sharp  prickles  which  are  raised  by  pads,  or  cushions 
of  cork.  It  is  not  common  and  mostly  grows  along  streams  where  its  ash- 
like, brilliant  foliage  makes  a  busy  stirring  in  the  breeze.  That  it  is  called 
toothache-tree  is  because  a  piece  of  its  bark  when  put  in  the  mouth  is  said  to 
give  much  relief  to  this  disorder.  Negroes,  especially,  pin  their  faith  to  its 
efficacy. 

Belonging  to  the  rue  family  also,  although  under  another  genus,  we  find 
the  indigenous  hop-tree,  Ptela  trifoliata,  which  locally  passes  as  well  under 
the  names  of  shrubby  trefoil,  hop-tree  and  wafer  ash.  From  Florida,  it 
grows  northward,  favouring  rocky  banks  and  is  infinitely  more  noticeable 
when  hung  with  its  samaras,  broadly  winged  all  around,  than  when  its  cymes 
of  delicate  greenish  flowers  are  in  blow.  This  fruit  which  is  intensely  bitter 
has  been  occasionally  used  as  a  substitute  for  hops. 

Although  not  the  function  of  this  book  to  include  exotic  plants,  it  may  not 
be  amiss  to  here  mention  that  orange  and  lemon  trees  are  members  of  this 
same  family. 

THE  AILANTHUS  FAMILY. 

SiniariibacecE, 
QUASSIA.     PARADISE  TREE. 

Sijuaruba  glaiica. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Ailanthus.  Round-headed.  20-^0  feet.  Southern  Floj-ida.  April. 

Bark:  appressed,  scaly,  light  reddish  brown.  Juice:  bitter  and  resinous. 
Leaves:  alternate  ;  comjiound  ;  aljiuj^tly  ])innate  with  from  eight  to  sixteen  opposite, 
or  alternate  leaflets,  which  are  oval  or  oblong,  rounded  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at 
the  base;  entire, 'the  margins  slightly  revolute;  thick;  paler  below;  smooth. 
Flowers:  small;  pale  yellow;  dia;cious  ;  regular;  growing  in  open  lateral  and 
terminal  panicles.     /'<?/a/j- ;  five;  spreading.     Stigmas :  fivt.    Dricpe  ;  o\3.\. 


THE  AILANTHUS  FAMILY.  293 

At  Key  West  and  other  parts  of  southern  Florida  this  graceful  tree 
attracts  the  attention,  and  we  may  here  view  it  as' a  type  of  the  family  to 
which  it  belongs.  It  has  perhaps  attained  its  greatest  renown  among  the 
people  through  the  cups  and  dippers  made  from  its  bitter  wood  and  bark,  and 
from  which  invalids  desire  to  drink,  the  reputed  benefit  being  somcihing  the 
same  as  though  they  had  taken  quinine.  Again, that  its  beauty  is  appre<-ialed 
by  the  people  seems  to  be  voiced  by  its  common  name  of   Paradise  Tree. 

AiUmthus  glandulosa,  Tree-of-Heaven,  or  Chinese  sumac,  a  large  and 
well-known  tree  in  this  country,  especially  in  cultivation,  is,  however,  a  native 
of  China.  In  the  autumn  the  pistillate  individuals  are  most  beautiful  as  they 
wave  great  bunches  of  fresh  green  or  purple  tinted  samaras  which  gradually 
turn  to  red  and  finally  a  dull  tan  before  they  fall  and  madly  gamb(jl  about  in 
search  of  a  suitable  resting  place.  The  pollen  from  the  flowers  of  the 
staminate  ones  is  reputed  to  be  very  noxious  and  the  tree's  sap  regarded  as 
poisonous. 

THE  riAHOQANY  FAHILY. 

Mclidcccr. 
MAHOGANY=TREE. 

Sivicthiia  viahbgoni. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mahogany. 

Spy e a  dins:. 

40-50/.V/. 

South  Florida. 

J uly\  A  ui^Uit. 

Bark:  dark  reddish  brown,  broken  into  broad,  thick  scales.  IVodi:  hard, 
reddish  brown.  Leaves  :  alternate,  compound,  al)ruptly  pinnate  with  from  six  to 
ten,  opposite  leaflets,  which  are  ovate-lanceolate,  unequal  at  the  base,  petiolale, 
entire.  Flcnvers :  nearly  perfect,  growing  in  axillary  panicles.  Calyx:  five-cleft. 
Petals  :  five.  Slamens  .-'ten,  the  filaments  united  into  a  tube.  Capsule :  very  large, 
ovate,  woody  and  containing  many  winged  seeds. 

Another  tree  which  helps  to  make  up  the  distinctive  growth  of  the  Keys 
of  southern  Florida  is  the  mahogany  ;  one  which  few  could  pass  without 
wonder,  especially  when  hung  with  its  great  woody  capsules  as  large  as 
good-sized  lemons.  It  produces  moreover  the  true  mahogany  wood  of  com- 
merce, of  rich  reddish  brown,  and  long  valued  above  most  others  in  cabinet 
work.  In  his  Natural  History  of  Carolina  it  was  first  described  by  Mark 
Catesby. 

A  connection  of  the  mahogany,  which  many  years  ago  was  introduced  into 
this  country  by  the  elder  Michaux,  is  the  China  berry,  umbrella  tree,  or 
pride-of-India,  Meli'a  azederach,  now  so  familiar  in  cultivation  about  southern 


294  THE  MAHOGANY  FAMILY. 

homes.  It  is  a  lovely  individual,  covered  abundantly  when  in  bloom  with 
loose  masses  of  lilac  coloured,  fragrant  flowers,  and  later  laden  with  rounded 
berries  looking  like  marbles  or  bits  of  china.  On  them  the  blue  jays  feast, 
so  it  is  commonly  related,  and  only  discontinue  gorging  after  the  fruit's 
juice  has  made  them  as  tipsy  as  tipsy  can  be. 


THE  MILKWORT  FAHILY. 

PolygalacecE. 

A  group  of  herbs^  7'arely  small  trees,  or  shrubs  in  the  tropics  with  al- 
ter ?iate,  opposite  or  7vhorled  and  exstipulate  leaves  ivhich  bear  perfect  and 
irregular  floivers,  solitary  a  fid  axillary,  or  grouped  ifi  various  forms  of 
inflorescences. 

TALL  PINE=BARREN  MILKWORT.     {Plate  XC2.) 

Polygala  cymbsa. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

lilkwori. 

Vello-w. 

Scentless. 

Florida  to  Delaware 
and  luestivard. 

JMay-Aitgust. 

Flowers :  growing  usually  in  compound,  corymbed  spikes.  Calyx  :  with  five 
unequal  sepals,  the  lateral  ones  of  which  are  oblong,  wing-like  and  appear  like 
petals.  Petals  :  three,  united  in  a  sort  of  tube,  the  middle  one  forming  a  keel  and 
being  crested  at  the  summit.  Leaves  :  scattered  ;  growing  thickly  in  a  tuft  about 
the  base  and  becoming  bract-like  on  the  stem  ;  linear,  pointed  at  the  apex, 
sessile;  smooth;  yellowish  green.  Stem  :  tall,  two  to  four  feet  high;  erect,  simple, 
smooth. 

We  find  always  a  charm  in  the  polygalas,  for  in  one  form  or  another  they 
show  us  such  elfin-like,  quaint  little  flowers.  Perhaps  much  of  their  ex- 
pression is  brought  about  by  the  lateral  sepals, which  often  assume  the  shape 
and  proportions  of  petals,  while  the  legitimate  ones  are  bunched  and  united 
in  the  centre  as  though  content  to  let  them  flare  in  their  stead.  They  are 
not  always  simple  things  to  analyse.  A  peculiar  trait  about  those  of  this 
species  is  that  in  drying  they  turn  dark  green.  Besides  showy  flowers  a 
number  of  the  genus  bear  others  that  are  cleistogamous  near  their  subter- 
ranean parts.  These  look  more  like  buds,  are  self-fertilized,  and  as  they 
never  open,  are  not  exposed  to  the  damage  from  heavy  storms,  or  to  be 
tossed  about  by  the  wind. 

P,  rambsa,  low  pine-barren  milkwort,  becomes  when  in  bloom  a  most  at- 
tractive individual  and  is  very  similar  in  growth  to  the  above  species,  al- 
though altogether  smaller.     Its   stem  leaves,  also,  are  'less  bract-like,  and 


PLATE  XCI.     TALL   PINE-BARREN   MILKWORT.     PolygjU  cnnosa. 

(295) 


296  THE  MILKWORT  FAMILY. 

the  tuft  of  spatulate  basal  ones  is  an  easy  clue  to  the  plant's  identity.  In 
low  pine-barrens  near  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  it  is  often  abundant, and  from  there 
occurs  to  Mississippi  and  northward.  The  yellow  flowers  turn  likewise  dark 
green  in  drying. 

P.  Baldwinii,  as  the  two  preceding  species,  bears  its  flowers  in  close, 
corymbose  spikes.  They  are,  however,  white,  sweetly  fragrant  and  when  in 
blow  fluffy  and  charming.  The  stem  is  angled  and  abundantly  leafy  from 
the  base  to  its  summit.  It  is  also  one  which  inhabits  low  pine-barrens 
about  Florida  and  Georgia  and  delays  its  bloom  until  July  and  August. 

YELLOW    BACHELOR'S=BUTTON.     ORANGE    fllLKWORT 

Polygala   lit  tea. 

FAMILY    •  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Milkwort.         Orange-ytlloiv.  Scentless.  Florida  to  New  Jersey.  June-October. 

FUnvers :  growing  densely  in  oblong  or  globose  terminal  spikes.  Wings  : 
erect;  oblong-ovate,  sharply  pointed  at  the  apices  ;  the  corolla-tube  minutely 
crested.  Stem  leaves :  alternate,  lanceojate-spatulate,  or  oblanceolate,  blunt  or 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  sessiie  or  nearly  so  ;  pale  green;  smooth,  fleshy;  the  basal 
ones  tufted,  broader  and  larger  than  the  others.  Stem  ;  six  to  twelve  inches  high, 
erect  or  ascending,  simple,  or  with  the  upper  branches  spreading. 

Although  comparatively  a  low  growing  plant,  there  is  not  a  brighter,  gayer 
member  of  the  genus  than  the  bachelor's-button,  nor  is  there  one  better 
known.  Many  of  the  natives  in  Florida  whom  I  asked  concerning  it  called  it 
the  "  yellow  clover,"  because  no  doubt  its  bloom  suggested  to  them  the 
shape  of  thick  clover  heads ;  and  when  I  pointed  out  the  great  differ- 
ence in  its  leaves  and  protested  against  its  being  a  clover,  they  took 
their  revenge  by  gathering  me  a  large  bunch  to  carry  away.  At  least  they 
knew  better  than  I  that  these  blossoms  are  especially  the  haunts  of  chiggers 
or  red  bugs,  which  would  soon  make  my  life  a  burden  to  me.  Until  very 
late  in  the  season  the  plant  lingers  in  bloom,and  when  it  occurs  as  far  north- 
ward as  New  Jersey  forsakes  often  the  sandy  barrens  for  a  life    in  the  bogs. 

P.  incarndta,  pink  milkwort,  grows  mostly  in  sandy,  or  light,  dry  soil  and 
also  bears  its  delicate,  rose-purple  flowers  in  solitary  spikes  at  the  end  of 
tall,  slender  and  glaucous  stems.  Their  wings  are  elliptical  and  a  good  deal 
shorter  than  the  petals, which  display  a  prominently  crested  keel.  The  leaves 
are  small,  alternate  and  linear. 

P.  criiciata,  cross-leaved,  or  marsh  milkwort,  covers  an  extended  range 
through  sandy  swamps  mainly  along  the  coast  and  belongs  to  the  group  of 
polygalas  that  bear  their  leaves  whorled  about  the  stem.  These  are  in  sets 
of  four,  linear,  or  oblong-linear  and  mostly  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex^ 
The  cylindrical,  spiked  heads  of  rose-purple  flowers  often  remain  in  bloom 
as  late  as  November  and  are  nearly  or  quite  sessile. 


THE  MILKWORT  FAMILY.  297 


LARGE  FLOWERED  HILKWORT.     {J'/afc XCJJ.) 

Polygala  gymidijlb)  a. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Milkivort. 

Rosc-lavcndcr. 

SciiULss. 

Florida  and  Mississ- 
ippi to  South  Carolina. 

JulySif>t(nit>,f . 

Flcnvcrs  :  large;  irregular,  scattered  in  long,  slender  racemes.  Sepals:  five, 
three  of  which  are  green,  minute  and  pointed,  the  lateral  ones  being  large,  obovatc- 
cuneate  and  appearing  like  wings.  Fc-tab :  three,  alternating  witn  the  sepals,  the 
lower  one  or  keel,  concave,  not  bearded.  Leaves:  small,  alternate,  with  shijrt, 
downy  petioles,  linear,  oblong  or  lanceolate,  tapering  at  both  ends;  entire; 
bright  green.  Stem:  erect;  about  twelve  inches  high;  branched,  leafy,  pubes- 
cent. 

Most  cheerfully  we  greet  this  beatitiful  one  of  the  polygalas,  with  its  deli- 
cate personality  cjuite  different  from  that  of  the  bachelor's-button,  or  the 
others  which  have  been  mentioned.  It  seems  to  us  more,  perhaps,  as 
though  its  associate  should  be  the  small  green  wood  orchid,  Ilabenaria 
clavellata,  to  find  which  we  push  aside  the  undergrowth  and  search  by  the 
stream's  side.  That  it  and  the  two  species  that  follow  produce  their  flowers 
in  racemes  giv'es  them  in  any  case  a  better  chance  to  show  their  beauty  than 
those  have  which  are  closely  packed  in  spikes.  The  generic  name  of  this 
interesting  family  of  ancient  Greek  origin  means  "  much  milk  "  and  was 
deemed  appropriate  because  cows, through  eating  the  plants,  were  supposed 
to  give  an  extra  quantity  of  the  fluid. 

P.  polygdma,  racemed  milkwort,  blooms  in  early  May  and  is  rather  a  low, 
glabrous  and  leafy  plant,showing  a  terminal  raceme  of  delicate  rose  or  purple 
tinted  flowers.  Shooting  from  the  base  also  are  cleistogamous  ones,  those 
imperfect  but  fertile  blossoms  well  disposed  to  do  their  duty. 

P.  paticifbiia,  fringed  polygala,  gay-wings  or  flowering  wintcrgrecn.  is 
undoubtedly  lovely  ;  its  flowers  being  comparatively  large,  about  three 
quarters  of  an  inch  long,  brilliantly  rose-purple  with  a  crested  and  exquisitely 
fringed  corolla  and  growing  in  the  a.xils  of  large,  ovate  leaves  produced  near 
their  stem's  summit.  Those  leaves,  however,  which  occur  on  the  stem  are 
small  and  bract-like.  As  the  preceding  species  this  plant  also  is  one  wliich 
bears  cleistogamous  flowers.  From  April  imtil  July  it  blooms  through  its 
extended  range  and  has  in  certain  parts  of  South  Carolina  the  honour  to 
grow  with  Shortia  under  the  rhododendrons'  shade. 


PLATE  XCll.     LARGE  FLOWERED  MILKWORT.     PoJ}'gala  grandiflora, 

C298) 


THE  SPURGE  FAMILY.  299 

THE  SPURGE  FAHILY. 

Etip  Jior  h  ii  icccc. 

Trees,  shrubs  or  herbs  commonly  ivith  milky  acrid  juice,  opf^osite, 
alternate,  or  luJiorled  leaves,  entire,  or  toothed  on  the  ed^cs  and  which 
bear  tnonoicious,  or  dioecious  Jloiuers. 

Among  the  many  members  of  this  very  large  order  that  have  from  lack  of 
space  here  been  omitted  we  recall  Ricinus  communis,  the  castor-oil  jjlant. 
Mostly  it  is  planted  in  gardens  throughout  the  south  for  its  virtue  in  keep- 
ing away  ground  moles,  but  it  is  also  occasionally  seen  as  an  escape. 

ALABAMA  CROTON.    {Plate  XC///.) 

Crbton   Alabamcnsts. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Spiifgc.  IV'hite.  Scented.  Central  Alahania.  All  the  year. 

Floxvers  :  monoecious,  growing  in  terminal  racemes.  Calyx  of  the  sterile  flowers, 
five-lobed.  Petals:  about  equalling  the  sepals  in  length.  Stamens:  twenty,  or 
more.  Fertile  flowers,  growing  at  the  bases  of  the  sterile  spikes.  Leaves:  alter- 
nate, with  scaly  petioles,  oblong-lanceolate  and  rather  blunt  at  the  apex ;  entire, 
dark  green  and  smooth  above,  the  lower  surface  covered  with  silvery  and  lustrous 
scales,  as  are  also  the  twigs;  thin.  Sfe?n:  tall,  much  branched,  woody,  six  to  ten 
feet  high  and  covered  with  a  white,  or  greyish  bark. 

This  most  rare  and  very  local  spurge  is  no  doubt  the  beautiful  one  of  its 
genus,  and  in  Alabama,  at  Pratt's  Ferry  and  near  the  LittleCahawba  River, 
where  it  was  discovered  by  Professor  E.  A.  Smith,  it  forms  thickets  of  such 
extent  and  impenetrability  that  they  are  known  by  the  inhabitants  of  this 
region  as  "  Pivet  brakes."  Away  from  its  native  haunts  it  is  mostly  seen  in 
parks, where  through  the  wondrous  silvery  light  of  its  leaves'  undersides  it  is 
ever  a  most  ornamental  individual. 

C.  glandulbsus,  glandular  croton,  a  hairy,  rough  plant,  is  mostly  found 
in  sandy,  waste  ground,  or  fertile  soil  about  dwellings.  Usually  its  stem  is 
corymbosely  branched,  and  the  leaves  with  their  conspicuous  basal  glands 
are  oblong  and  ruggedly  serrate.  Very  insignificant  are  its  spikes  of  bloom, 
although  the  four  petals  of  the  staminate  tlowers  are  longer  than  the  calyx- 
lobes. 

C.  marit\mus,  an  inhabitant  of  sand  drifts  along  the  coast  from  Florida 
to  North  Carolina,  is  noticeably  covered  with  a  somewhat  rusty  and  scurfy 
pubescence.  It  is  a  bushy  plant,  two  to  three  feet  high, and,  as  is  often  cus- 
tomary with  the  spurges,  branches  in  the  way  of  umbels.  Its  flowers  are 
without  petals.  When  in  fruit,  however,  the  three-celled  capsules  are 
very  pretty,  being  pale  green,  velvety  and  containing  greyish,  mottled  seeds. 


PLATE   XCIII,     ALABAMA  CROTON.     Croton  AJahamensis. 
(300) 


THE  SPURGK  FAMILY. 

FLOWERING  SPURGE. 

Euphorbia    corollala. 


301 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

spurge. 

IVkitf. 

Sccntli'ss. 

Texas  nmi  .'■'iorida  northivarti. 

May-i  Ktol'i-t  . 

Flcnuers  :  minute,  monoecious,  growing  at  the  ends  of  forked  l)ranthcs  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  white,  coroUa-like  involucre  with  five  rounded  l<)l)cs.  Utamninle 
ficnvers  :  with  one  stamen  scattered  over  the  inner  surface  of  its  involucre.  Pistil- 
late fl(nvcrs  :  growing  singly  in  the  cup-shaped  or  top-sliaped  involucre  and  having 
a  three-lobed  ovary  and  three  styles.  Leaves  :  alternate  on  the  stem,  and  whorlcd 
just  below  the  umbel,  oblong  or  oblong-spatulate,  entire,  thick,  smooth  above, 
bright  gi  ecu  and  mostly  hairy  underneath.  Stem  :  two  to  three  feet  high  ;  divided 
umbellately  into  branches,which  again  divide  and  bear  tiic  lltnver-hcads,  purplish, 
or  spotted. 

Very,  very  commonly  we  see  this  little  plant  flecking-  thin  strips  of  wood- 
lands or  wayside  paths  with  its  tiny  white  llowers.  And  yet  it  is  not  the 
true  flowers  which  attract  us,  but  their  involucres  flaring  about  as  though 
they  were  so  many  orthodox  little  petals.  These  appendages,  moreover, 
subtend  yellowish-green  glands,  a  custom  not  unusual  with  this  genus. 
That  the  spurges  have  certain  medicinal  properties  has  for  many  years  been 
known  ;  and   of  this  species  especially  the  horizontal  rootstock  is  collected. 

E.  heterophjflla,  various-leaved  spurge,  presents  little  in  general  appearance 
that  is  similar  to  the  preceding  species.  It  is  erect,  pubescent  or  nearly 
smooth,  rather  coarse  looking  and  bears  alternate  oval  leaves,  the  uppermost 
deeply  lobed,  with  rounded  sinuses  at  the  sides  which  extend  more  than 
half  way  to  the  midrib.  The  forked  branches  at  the  summit  of  tiie  stem 
bearing  the  flower  cluster  are  very  short,  while  near  the  flowers  the  leaves 
become  coloured  bracts  and  appear  as  a  gay  involucre.  They  are  brightly 
tinted  with  old  rose  and  thus  form  quite  the  striking  feature  of  the  plant. 

E.  maculdta,  spotted  spurge  or  milk  purslane, an  extremely  dainty,  grace- 
ful little  prostrate  herb,  is  commonly  seen  in  waste  ground  and  well  over  the 
country.  Its  leaves  are  very  small,  oblong,  finely  serrate  and  besides  being 
blotched  turn  to  brilliant  shades  of  red  and  purple.  Along  the  pubescent 
branches  occur  most  abundantly  in  the  axils  the  small  white  or  red  in- 
volucres. 

TREAD=SOFTLY.     SPURGE   NETTLE.     {Philc  XC/r.) 

Jdl)  -I  >p/i  ( I  slim  it/bsa. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Sj>u}-^c.  White  or  pink.  Scentless.  Virgi nia  to  l-'lorida  MurchSt/Unibtr 

and  7vestivard. 

Flowers:  monoecious,  growing  in  cvmes.  Calyx:  of  the  sterile  blossoms, 
showy;  salver-form,  with  five  lobes.     Petals:  none.     Stamens:  ten,  five  of  which 


PLATE  XCIV,     TREAD  SOFTLY.    Jatropha  stimulosa, 
(302) 


THE  SPURGE  FAMILY.  303 

have  united  filaments.  Styles  of  the  fertile  flowers  three,  parted  to  near  the  base. 
Least's:  alternate,  with  long  hairy  petioles,  rounded,  cordate,  palmately  i)arted  into 
three  to  five  oval  segments,  pointed  at  the  apex,  entire  or  roughly  toothed,  thin, 
and  having  scattered  along  the  veins  of  both  surfaces  sharp  glass-like  prickles. 
Stems:  simple  or  branched,  erect  and  bristly  with  sharp-pointed  hairs. 

In  the  quaint,  common  name  of  this  plant,  "  tread-softly,"  there  is 
breathed  a  wise  precaution,  for  so  beset  is  it  with  lustrous  hairs  as  tine  and 
sharp  as  spun  glass  that  it  might  well  cause  annoyance  to  those  who  would 
ruthlessly  trample  it  down.  In  dry,  old  fields  near  Jacksonville  we  were  at- 
tracted by  its  strange,  shiny  look  and  found  that  although  late  in  September 
a  few  of  its  blossoms  still  lingered  in  blow. 


QUEEN'S  DELIGHT.     SILVER=LEAF. 

Stilling  I  a  sylvdtica. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Spurge. 

Letnon-yelloiv. 

Scentless. 

Florida  to  Virginia 
and  westward  to  Texas. 

Marck-(htol<t>  . 

Flmvers :  monoecious,  growing  in  terminal,  upright  spikes  from  the  ends  of  the 
stems;  each  flower  being  subtended  by  a  bract  with  small  glands  at  its  base. 
Fertile  flowers  borne  below  the  sterile  ones.  Cu/j'x  :  cup-shaped;  two  to  three- 
lobed.  Petals  :  none.  Capsule  :  rounded,  green  ;  two  to  three-valved.  Leaves  : 
alternate,  obovate  or  elliptic,  occasionally  obtuse  at  the  apex,  tapering  and  sessile 
at  the  base;  finely  serrate  or  crenate,  rather  thick,  smooth.  Stems  :  one  to  four 
feet  high,  erect,  leafy,  smooth,  branching  from  the  base.     Koot :  woody,  thick. 

Perhaps  the  queen's  delight  is  more  generally  known  by  its  practical  name 
of  queen's  root,  for  very  early  in  the  spring  many  people  sally  forth  quite 
oblivious  to  any  other  sensation  than  that  of  collecting  its  roots  to  later  use 
in  medicinal  ways.  It  is,  however,  quite  an  interesting  bloomer,  and  often 
it  may  be  noticed  that  the  pistillate  flowers  at  the  bases  of  the  spike  have 
developed  into  good-sized  capsules, while  still  a  yellowish  glow  proclaims 
that  the  staminate  ones  linger  in  blow.     In  light,  dry  soil  it  grows  best. 

S.  aqudtica.^  another  species  occurring  as  an  inhabitant  of  ponds  in  the 
pine, barrens  from  Florida  to  South  Carolina,  is  a  shrubby  plant.  Usually 
its  spikes  of  bloom  are  short  and  the  capsules  at  their  bases  small  and 
smooth. 

Sapiuni  scbifcrum  represents  another  extreme,  and  was  originally  des- 
cribed and  regarded  as  a  member  of  the  genus  Stillingia.  It  is  a  tree  of 
from  twenty  to  forty  feet  high.  Along  the  coast  from  Georgia  to  South 
Carolina  it  is  known  and  in  June  and  July  sends  forth  its  thickly  flowered 
spikes  of  bloom.     It  has  been  introduced  in  this  country  from  China. 


304  THE  CROWBERRY  FAMILY. 

THE  CROWBERRY  FAMILY. 

EmpetracecE, 

Ceratibla  ericoides.     {Plate  XCV.^ 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Crowberry.         Reddish.  Scentless,         Florida  to  Soutk  Carolina.         October.,  November , 

Floivers  :  dioecious;  very  small;  growing  in  axillary  whorls.  Calyx:  with  two 
fringed  sepals  and  bracted  at  its  base.  Corolla:  with  two  petals.  Stamens:  two, 
conspicuous.  Style  :  short;  stigma,  cleft.  Drupe:  yellowish  ;  somewhat  per- 
sistent. Leases :  not  half  an  inch  long,  with  very  short,  yellowish  petioles  ; 
narrowly  linear,  or  needle-shaped,  with  revolute  margins  and  grooved  through  the 
underside;  olive-green;  lustrous  above;  glabrous;  evergreen.  An  erect  shrub, 
two  to  five  feet  high,  verticillately  branched;  the  young  growth  pubescent. 

This  is  one  of  our  dearest,  prettiest  little  shrubs,  having,  as  it  grows 
through  dry  barrens,  a  heath-like  look.  And  especially  charming  is  it  in  the 
autumn  when  lit  with  its  clustered  red  bloom,  for  which  the  stone-grey  and 
rather  rough  bark  forms  so  artistic  a  background.  Happily  it  is  beginning 
to  be  abundantly  seen  in  cultivation. 

THE  BOX  FAMILY. 

Bicxcaece. 

ALLEGHANY  MOUNTAIN  SPURGE. 

Pa chysdn d?'a  proc udi beii s. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Box.        Purplish  or  green.         Fragrant.  Florida  and  Louisiana  February-May. 

to  Virginia. 

Floivers  :  monoecious,  growing  in  lateral  spikes  low  on  the  stem  and  in  the  axils 
of  the  scales.  Staviinate flozvers^:  dense,  at  the  upper  part  of  the  spike;  pistillate 
ones  few,  below  the  others.  Sepals:  four,  ovate,  ciliate,  green  or  purplish. 
Petals:  none.  Stamens:  four,  their  filaments  thick  and  exserted.  Leaves:  alter- 
nate ;  broadly  ovate,  or  obovate,  pointed  or  bluntly  so  at  the  apex  and  narrowed 
at  the  base  into  the  margined  petiole  ;  coarsely  dentate,  entire,  at  least  at  the  base. 
Stem:  curving;  ascending;  sometimes  pubescent.     Kootstock  :  matted. 

The  Alleghany  mountain  spurge  shows  us  a  form  of  growth  which 
seems  perhaps  peculiar,  and  one  with  which  we  are  little  accustomed. 
Usually  herbs  raise  high  their  flowers  as  though  with  pride,  but  those  of 
this  plant  cling  to  the  stem  about  its  lower  part  and  let  the  leaves  tower 
boldly  above  them.  Even  then  their  thick,  white  stamens,  from  which  the 
generic  name  has  been  given,  are  their  most  prominent  feature.  In  dense, 
shaded  woods  through  its  range  the  plant  throws  out  sometimes  an  abun- 
dant leafage,  and  is  the  only  one  of  the  family  which  inhabits  America,  the 
other  species  of  the  genus  being  a  native  of  Japan. 


PLATE  XCV.     Cenitiolj  cricouliS. 
(305) 


3o6 


THE  SUMAC  FAMILY. 


THE  SUMAC   FAfllLY. 

Anaca  rdia  cecr. 
Trees    or  shrubs  mostly  possessed  of  resmous    or  milky  juice ^    and 
which  bear  simple,  or  coi?ipound  alternate,  rarely  opposite  leaves;  mainly 
regular,  perfect,  or  imperfect  flowers  and  drupaceous  fruits. 


Rhiis  Michaiixi.  {Plate  XCVL) 


FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE 

Sumac.         Crea7)ty  or  greenish     Scentless.  Georgia  and 

•white.  North  Carolina. 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 

July. 
Fruit:  August^  September . 


A^-^'-^ ' 


Flowers :   very    small, 
growing  thickly  in  a  dense 
~"       panicle.      Calyx :    persist- 
~^-— en t,  usually  five-cleft.  Pet- 
als; spreading,  imbricated 
in  the  bud.   Stamens:  five. 
Pistil:    one;    styles    three. 
Drupes:    deep  crimson, 
one   seeded   and   covered 
with  a  velvety  pubescence.     Leaves  :  compound,  with  long  petioles, 
covered  with  a  green  or  rusty  scurf,  odd-pinnate,with  from  seven  to 
thirteen  lanceolate  or  ovate  leaflets,  short  stalked,  coarsely  serrate, 
smooth  or    nearly  so  on   the    upper   surface  and  covered    under- 
neath with  pubescence.     A  shrub  one  to  three  feet  in  height. 

More  brilliant  than  the  sourwood,  vieing  with  the  scarlet 
maple  and  fairly  overcoming  the  landscape  with  long  bunches 
of  velvety  crimson  fruit  and  gloriously  tinted  foliage  we  hail 
in  the  autumn  this  extraordinary  genus  of  plants.  Along  the  waysides,  in 
corners  of  abandoned  fields  and  through  open  strips  of  woodlands,  constantly 
some  one  of  them  is  found  casting  a  rich,  wine-red  hue  over  florets  already 
blackened  and  pale  sedges. 

In  the  field  of  usefulness  they  are  also  much  sought ;  for  the  tannin  con- 
tained in  their  bark  and  leaves  and  their  milky  juice,  which  in  drying  turns 
almost  black,  is  extensively  used  as  a  varnish.  In  fact  it  is  from  a  species 
of  Rhus  that  the  Japanese  obtain  their  famous  lacquer. 

Famous  among  them  all  is  Rhus  Michauxi,  which  for  nearly  or  quite  a 
hundred  years  was  completely  lost  to  the  world  of  science.  It  is  but  a  few 
years  ago  that  it  was  rediscovered. 

R.  glabra,  smooth  upland,  or  scarlet  sumac,  while  being  of  somewhat  the 
same  personality  as  the  preceding  species  is  strongly  marked  by  its  smooth- 
ness. It  is  also  glaucous.  Again  it  bears  its  leaflets  more  numerously, 
there  being  from  fifteen  to  thirty-one  of   them  in  the  leaves  of  well-grown 


PLATE  XCVl.     RIius  MicUauxii. 
(307) 


3o8  THE  SUMAC  FAMILY. 

plants.  They  are  sessile  and  oblong-lanceolate.  Over  its  extended  range 
this  sumac  is  generally  known,  and  mostly  by  its  dense,  beautiful  clusters 
of  crimson  velvety  drupes. 

R.  copallhia,  dwarf,  or  mountain  sumac,  a  most  beautiful  plant,  occurs 
either  as  a  shrub  or  small  tree  and  from  Florida  northward  to  Maine.  Its 
panicle  of  creamy  or  greenish  white  bloom  is  spreading,  often  very  large 
and  the  drupes  are  crimson  and  hairy.  Again  the  long  petiole  which  bears 
the  slender  and  lanceolate  leaflets  is  winged  along  its  margins,  while  they, 
as  well  as  the  branches,  show  much  tomentum.  In  the  autumn  these  deep 
green  and  lustrous  leaves  turn  to  rich  shades  of  purple.  None  of  the 
species  of  sumac  which  have  already  been  mentioned  is  poisonous ;  and  in 
the  mountains  of  the  Southern  States,  this  one  more  than  any  other  is  col- 
lected in  large  quantities  for  the  sake  of  its  tannin. 

R.  Vermx,  poison  sumac,  elder,  ash  or  dogwood,  as  this  shrub  is  vari- 
ously known,  is  thought  by  many  to  be  the  strikingly  beautiful  member  of 
the  genus.  It  is  also  the  one  to  be  most  carefully  avoided,  as  its  juice  and 
all  its  parts  are  extremely  poisonous.  Some  marks,  therefore,  that  should 
be  remembered  for  its  identification  are  its  smooth,  unwinged  leaf  stalks, 
bearing  from  seven  to  thirteen  entire  leaflets,  and  its  axillary  panicles  of 
bloom,  followed  later  by  greenish  white,  smooth  drupes  closely  resembling 
small  peas.  It  is  besides  exclusively  an  inhabitant  of  swamps,  ranging 
from  the  Gulf  region  to  Canada. 

R.  Toxicodendron,  poison  ivy  or  poison  oak,  a  climbing  vine  attaching  it- 
self by  means  of  aerial  rootlets,  is  well  known  through  the  south,  and  bears 
three-foliate  leaves  with  crenately-lobed  and  more  or  less  pubescent  leaflets 
and  which  in  the  autumn  become  beautifully  coloured.  Its  small  panicle  of 
bloom,  developing  later  into  whitish,  smooth  drupes,  is  a  feature  distinctive 
enough  to  be  remembered,  and  in  thus  doing,  it  should  be  let  alone, as  its 
juice  is  very  poisonous. 

AMERICAN  SMOKE=TREE.    MIST  TREE.     CHITTAn=- 

WOOD.     {^Platc  XCVII.) 

Cotinus  Cotinoldcs. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Sumac. 

Green. 

Scentless. 

Missouri  to  Alabama. 

April,  May. 

Flo7vers:  minute  ;  perfect,  growing  in  an  open,  spreading  and  terminal  panicle, 
the  pedicels  long,  slender  and  becoming  plumose  in  fruit.  Drupe:  hard,  smooth. 
Leaves:  large,  simple;  petioled,  oval,  or  obovate,  rounded  at  the  apex  and  pointed 
or  rounded  at  the  base,  entire,  dark  green  and  smooth  alcove,  glabrous  or  sparingly 
pubescent  underneath,  thin.     A  tree  attaining  at  most  forty  feet  in  height. 

Only  in  certain  parts  of  the  South  does  the  American  smoke-tree 
grow    wild.     At    first   it  was  discovered    by  Nuttall,  and    subsequently  by 


PLATE  XCVll,     AMERICAN  SMOKE-TREE.     Cotinns  CotinciJcs. 
(309) 


310    •  THE  SUMAC  FAMILY. 

Buckley,  who  made  the  trees  his  chief  object  of  study.  Very  like  it  looks  to 
the  European  one  which  so  often  we  see  in  cultivation,  and  for  which  the 
French  have  the  pleasing  name'of  "  arbre  d  perruke."  Indeed  it  does  seem 
as  though  these  trees  had  put  on  white  wigs  when  their  fruiting  pedicels  be- 
come elongated  and  very  feathery.  From  the  orange-yellow  wood  of  our 
^species  a  dye,  rich  in  colour,  is  extracted. 


THE  CYRILLA  FAMILY. 

Cyrillacecs. 

Trees  or  shrubs  with  simple,  alternate,  evergreen   leaves^  and  white, 
regular,  perfect  flowers  ivhich  grow  in  br acted  racemes. 

SOUTHERN  LEATHERWOOD.     IRONWOOD. 

{Plate  XCVIII.) 
Cyrilla  racemiflbra. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Cyrilla. 

White. 

Scentless. 

Texas  and  Florida 
to  Virginia. 

May-July. 

FIo7vers :  ^xoW\x\%\\\  long,  slender  racemes  terminal  on  the  twigs  of  the  pre- 
ceding year,  and  having  scale-like  bracts  at  the  bases  of  their  pedicels.  Calyx  : 
persistent;  deeply  cleft  into  five  sharp-pointed  sepals.  Fetiils :  fi\e,  spreading, 
early  falling.  Stamens:  five.  Pistil:  one  with  a  two-lobed  style.  Capsule: 
small:  ovoid.  Leaves:  obovate,  oval  or  oblanceolate,  pointed  at  the  apex  and 
tapering  at  the  base  into  a  short  petiole;  entire;  lustrous  above,  glabrous  on  both 
sides,  thick,  evergreen.  A  shrub  or  small  tree  ten  to  thirty-five  feet  high, with 
silvery  grey  and  smooth  branches. 

Although  this  plant  is  not  common,  the  people  know  it  well  for  its  bark, 
which  at  the  base  pulverises  easily,  and  is  used  by  them  as  an  application  to 
ulcers  and  sores.  They  seek  it  along  the  margins  of  ponds  and  through  low 
pine  forests,  where  often  it  grows  with  the  water  gums  and  fetter-bushes, 
and  where  in  the  autumn,  when  the  leaves  of  the  deciduous  shrubs  have 
turned  to  scarlet  and  orange,  its  glossy  evergreen  or  long  persistent  ones 
appear  strikingly  beautiful.  Two  species  of  Cyrilla  are  recognised,  the  other 
being  known  as  Cyrilla  parvifolia,  a  smaller  plant  with  smaller  leaves, 
shorter  racemes  and  globose  capsules. 


PLATE  XCVm.     SOUTHERN  LEATHERWOOD.     Cvnlla  rM-nnijhrj, 

(31  U 


312  THE  CYRILLA  FAMILY. 

BUCKWHEAT  TREE.     TITI.     [Plate  XC IX.) 

Cliftbnia  vionophylla. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Cyrilla. 

White. 

Fnii^raiit. 

Florida  to  Xori/i  Carolina 

February-April. 

and  westward. 

Floxuers :  growinj^  in  nodding  racemes  on  twigs  of  the  precednig  year,  the 
pedicels  having  reddish,  scale-like  and  early-falling  bracts  at  their  bases.  Calyx: 
persistent;  minute;  with  five  rounded  sepals.  Corolla  :  with  five  spreadmg  petals 
narrowed  at  their  bases.  Stamens:  ten,  in  two  rows  of  different  lengths.  Anthers: 
orange  coloured.  Pistil:  one.  Drupes:  three  to  four  winged;  dry;  noddnig. 
Leaves:  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches  long;  oblanceolate,  mosdy  blunt  at  the 
apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  ;  entire  ;  thick  ;  bright  green  and  shiny  above;  paler 
below  and  chalky  underneath  when  old;  leather-like.  A  shrub  or  small  tree  forty 
to  fifty  feet  high  and  having  greyish  twigs. 

In  the  damp,  peaty  soil  of  many  a  shallow  swamp  we  find  this  plant  as  a 
shrub  intermingled  with  wax  myrtles,  fetter  btishes  and  the  swamp  bay;  but 
in  the  deeper  swamps  of  western  Florida  it  attains  to  a  much  greater  size. 
Those  of  its  leaves  which  have  an  ashen  hue  are  usually  very  old  and  have 
remained  persistent  on  the  boughs  until  the  autumn  of  their  second  year. 
The  generally  used  common  name  is  in  reference  to  the  fruit,  which  has  a 
resemblance  to  that  of  buckwheat. 


THE  HOLLY  FAMILY. 

Ilichcccr, 

Trees  or  shrubs  7vith  simple^  alternate.,  petioled  leaves.,  either  ever- 
green or  deeiduous,  and  with  entire.,  serrate.,  or  bristle-toothed  margins, 
and  "tvhieh  bear  small.,  white  or  greenish.,  regular  fiowers.,  perfect  or 
imperfect. 

LARGE=LEAVED  HOLLY. 
Ilex  vionticola. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Holly.  Whitish.  Scentless.  Alabama  and Xo7th  Carolina  May. 

to  Nezu  York.  Fruit  :  September. 

Ftozuers :  minute,  the  sterile  ones  growing  mainly  in  axillary  clusters,  the  fertile 
ones  solitary  or  in  pairs  with  slender  pedicels;  calvx-lobes,  ciliate.  Corolla: 
with  rounded  petals.  Drupes  :  abundant ;  bright  red;  fleshy;  globose.  Leaves:  on 
short  lateral  branches;  ovate  or  ovate-lanceolate,  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and 
wedge-shaped,  roimded,  or  tapering  at  the  base  into  slender  petioles  ;  sharply 
serrate;  thin;  glabrous  or  slightly  pubescent  underneath  along  the  veins; 
deciduous.     A  shrub  or  slender  tree  occasionally  forty  feet  high. 


PLATE  XCIX.     BUCKWHEAT  TREE.     Cli/toin\j  wouoplnlLi. 


314  THE  HOLLY  FAMILY. 

On  the  road  up  Roan  Mountain  there  is  a  tall,  shapely  tree  of  beauty  so 
pronounced  that  it  seems  to  be  generally  observed,  and  as  our  most  reticent 
charioteer  deigned  to  tell  us,  "  nobody  knows  jist  what  it  be."  He  certainly 
didn't  know.  It  is,  however,  a  large-leaved  holly,  remarkably  well  grown 
and  beautiful.  The  fruits,  as  we  saw  them,  not  yet  ripe  still  showed  their 
cheery  yellow  tint,  mostly  clouded  over  with  red,  while  the  fully  ripe  ones 
were  almost  as  large  as  cherries,  fleshy  and  brilliantly  red.  They  do  not, 
however,  last  over  the  winter.  In  fact  from  the  spray  I  carried  away  many 
had  fallen  before  we  returned  from  the  mountain. 

Besides  the  large  and  fine  holly  trees  which  grow  so  well  in  the  south  the 
genus  furnishes  a  wealth  also  of  small  shrubs,  adding  in  the  low  country 
greatly  to  the  luxury  of  the  vegetation. 

/.  opdca,  American  holly,  is  perhaps  the  popular  one  of  the  genus :  the 
one  most  sought  for  decorations  at  Christmas.  It  occurs  as  a  shrub,  or 
again  as  an  imposing,  well-shaped  tree  with  an  utmost  height  of  fifty  feet.  Its 
leaves  are  characteristic ;  oval  or  obovate  in  outline,  sharp-pointed  at  the 
apex  and  with  a  few  prominent  spine-tipped  teeth,  the  sinuses  between 
them  being  rounded.  Above  they  are  smooth  and  lustrous,  and  somewhat 
tinged  with  yellow  underneath.  Over  the  winter  the  hard,  bright  red  drupes 
remain  on  the  trees, thus  constituting  perhaps  its  greatest  charm.  Frequently 
not  until  the  early  spring,  when  the  old  leaves  are  falling  and  their  places 
being  taken  by  fresh  ones,  do  they  turn  black  and  fall  to  the  ground.  In 
the  mountains  of  North  Carolina  there  is  a  yellow  as  well  as  the  red  fruited 
form  of  Ilex  opaca. 

/.  verticillata,  black  alder  or  Virginia  winterberry,  grows  as  a  tall,  bushy 
shrub  to  often  twenty-five  feet  high  and  bears  oval  or  oblong-lanceolate 
leaves,  finely  serrate  and  quite  pubescent  on  their  undersides  along  the  ribs. 
As  its  specific  name  implies.its  flowers  grow  thickly  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves, 
appearing  like  whorls,  and  the  fruit  following  them  is  perhaps  brighter  and 
more  abundantly  produced  than  that  of  any  other  of  the  genus.  It  lasts  for 
some  time  after  the  leaves  have  turned  black  and  have  fallen,  frequently 
being  used  as  Christmas  decorations.  In  Tennessee  especially  the  black 
alder  is  common,  where  it  inhabits  mostly  swampy  places.  As  many  of  the 
hollies  it  is  very  valuable  in  cultivation. 

/.  glabra,  evergreen  winterberry,  gallberry  or  inkberry,  a  handsome  shrub 
of  sandy  soil,  grows  well  from  Louisiana  and  Florida  to  Massachusetts,  sel- 
dom, however,  becoming  over  six  feet  high,  while  often  about  sandy  stretches 
near  Savannah,  Ga.,  and  in  Florida  it  remains  quite  low  and  forms  an  abun- 
dant, though  rather  stiff  undergrowth.  Its  lustrous,  bright  green  leaves, 
pale  on  their  under  sides,  are  considerably  spotted  with  dark  coloured  dots. 
The  drupes  are  very  black. 


THE  HOLLY  FAMH.V.  -, ,  - 


YAUPON.     CA5SENA.     {rhiL-  C.) 
Ilex  I'onii'/or/if. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF   BLOOM 

Holly. 

White. 

Scentless. 

Florida  to  I  irf;inia 
and  westward  to  Je.ras. 

.U.I). 

Stamtnate  flmvers  :  growing  closely  to  the  branches  in  short-peduncled  cvmes 
Ptstillate  cymes  :  sessile;  one  or  two  flowered.  Calvx-lobes :  rounded  and  obiuse' 
Petals:  four,  oblong,  narrowed  at  the  base.  Stamens:  four,  on  the  corolla  Drup^'- 
round,  red.  Leaves:  small,  with  slightly  pubescent  petioles;  ovate-oblonp  blunt 
at  the  apex  and  rounded  at  the  base;  serrate,  or  approaching  crenate,  briglu-Krctn 
above,  paler  below;  glabrous;  evergreen.  A  shrub  or  small  tree  occasionally 
thirty  feet  high.  ^ 

The  Carolina,  or  South  Sea  tea,  as  also  this  holly  is  called,  occurs  most 
generally  near  salt  water,  although  it  grows  well  into  the  interior  of  Arkan- 
sas. In  the  Atlantic  States  its  leaves  are  annually  dried  and  used  by  the 
natives  for  tea.  It  is  also  the  plant  from  which  the  Indians  made  their 
famous  "  black  drink." 

When  the  time  of  year  drew  near  they  assembled,  according  to  a  cus- 
tom of  long  standing,  from  parts  far  and  wide  at  some  chosen  place  where 
the  plant  grew  in  abundance.  Here  they  built  a  great  fire  and  hung  over  it 
a  kettle.  Into  this  with  water  they  then  threw  quantities  of  the  yaupon's 
leaves.  As  soon  as  they  had  sufficiently  brewed  they  began  drinking 
the  beverage  and  were  soon  in  consequence  violently  sick.  But  still  they 
were  undeterred.  Again  they  drank  with  the  same  result,  and  so  for  two 
or  three  days  they  continued  drinking  and  being  sick,  or  until  they  deemed 
their  systems  to  be  sufficiently  cleansed.  After  this  they  returned  to  their 
several  habitations,  each  carrying  on  the  way  a  branch  of  the  holly. 

/.  Cassine,  dahoon  holly,  bears  oblanceolate  or  oblong-obovate  leaves, 
sometimes  four  and  a  half  inches  long,  and  which  are  entire,  or  display  a  few 
sharp-pointed  teeth.  On  their  upper  surfaces  they  are  shiny  and  glabrous, 
but  usually  show  underneath  a  fine  pubescence.  They  last  over  the  winter, 
as  do  also  the  round  red  drupes.  Sometimes  the  dahoon  holly  becomes  a 
tree  of  about  twenty-five  feet  high,  but  much  more  often  it  remains  a  shrub. 
It  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  low  country  from  Louisiana  and  Florida  to  \'ir- 
ginia  and  grows  in  woods. 

/.  dectdua^  swamp  or  meadow  holly,  chooses  for  its  home  such  haunts 
as  swamps  and  shaded  ravines,  and  is  one  that  sheds  its  leaves  in  the 
autumn.  Early  in  May  its  small,  white  flowers  growing  on  slender  pedi- 
cels unfold  with  the  leaves.  The  parts  of  the  dowers  are  usually  in  fours 
and, as  all  the  flowers  of  the  hollies,  are  inconspicuous  in  comparison  with 
their  fruits.  Sometimes  it  becomes  tree-like,  about  thirty  feet  high,  while 
the  bark  of  its  young  shoots  presents  a  beautiful  silvery  grey. 


PLATE  C     YAUPON.    Ilex  vomitoria. 
(316) 


>  ^^^ 


-:  "  V 


THE  STAFF-TRKK   FAMILY.  3,7 

THE  STAFF=TREE  FAMILY. 

Cclasiracc(i\ 
Trees  or  shrubs,  somcti))ics  cliDibiiii:;,  u<it/i  allrniate  or  opposite  simple 
leaves,  and  small,  perfect  or  imperfeet,  rei^nlar  /lowers,  usually  borne  on, 
join  ted  pedieels. 

BURNING    BUSH.     STRAWBERRY   BUSH.     WAHOO. 

huihiymus  .Imcr/ea/ius. 

FAMILY         COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Staff-tree.      Creenisli.  Scintless.  l-'loriiia  and  Texas  /tine. 

to  New  York.  Fruit:  Se/>ieiitl'er-So-'evil'er. 

Fiozvers :  perfect,  solitary  or  a  few  growing  on  slender  axillary  peduncles. 
Calyx:  four  to  five  cleft,  the  lobes  spreading.  /\t,i/s  :  five;  rounded;  mostly 
clawed.  Stamens:  very  short.  Capsule:  large,  rough,  three  to  five  celled  and 
enclosing  seeds  covered  with  an  exquisite  scarlet  aril.  Leaves:  with  very  short 
petioles,  ovate,  or  broadly  lanceolate,  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded,  or 
acute  at  the  base  ;  finely  crenulate,  smooth,  or  very  slightly  pubescent.  A  large 
shrub  three  to  eight  feet  high  with  green  or  ash  coloured  and  angled  twigs. 

When  the  shadows  lengthen  on  the  dial  and  the  days  shorten,  and  one 
after  another  the  leaves  and  flowers  fall  to  mother  Earth,  there  still  lingers 
one  burning,  brilliant  spot  on  the  landscape,  which  like  the  last  dart  of  a 
flame  before  the  fire  is  dead  guards  the  threshold  of  winter.  It  is  the 
burning  bush,  which  at  this  season  displays  its  chief  beauty,  its  warty  pods 
and  scarlet  arils.  No  doubt  it  is  the  only  lively  looking  thing  in  sight, 
should  not  the  witch-hazel  be  somewhere  near  in  the  low  wood.  Now  very 
familiar  is  the  shrub  in  cultivation,  where  in  thus  prolonging  the  pageant  of 
colours  it  is  of  inestimable  value. 

CANBY'S  MOUNTAIN   LOVER.     {Plate  CI.) 
Fae/iystima  Cdnbyi. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Staff-tree. 

Brown  ish. 

Scentless. 

Mou  ntn ins  of  North  Ca  rolina 
and  Virginia. 

.//.//,  May. 

FUnvers  :  minute,  perfect,  growing  singly  or  a  few  clustered  at  the  end  of  axil- 
lary ])eduncles.  Calyx  :  four-lobed.  Petals  :  four,  oblong-ovate.  Slaineiis  :  four 
inserted  beneath  the  disk.  Capsule:  two-celled;  oblong.  Lea-'es  :  opposite;  with 
short  petioles,  linear  oblong,  or  oI:)ovate,  serrate  near  the  apex,  the  margins 
slightly  revolute,  coriaceous,  smooth,  evergreen.  A  low,  leafy  shrub,  at  most  one 
foot  high,  with  corky  branches. 

It  was  Mr.  Wm.  M.  Canby  who  first  found  this  very  rare  little  shrub 
growing  along  the  rocky  cliffs  of  the  New  River,  near  Kggleston.  X'irginia. 
Sometimes  it  occurs  but  a  few  inches  high,  is  evergreen  and  has  curious 
yellow  roots.  Its  branches  also  are  decumbent  and  often  turn  about  and 
root  themselves  in  the  ground. 


PLATE   CI.     CANBY'S   MOUNTAIN   LOVER.     Pachystima  Canb/i, 


THE  STAFF-TREE  FAMILY.  3,^, 

CLiriBINQ  BITTER=SWEET.  WAX-WORK. 

Cell  is  trus  sl(  in  dens. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIMB  OF  BLOOM 

Staff-tree.      CreiDit-ivhite^     Scentless.       North  Caroli mi  north-  May^Jun: 

or  green  ish .  7va  rd  a  nd  ivestwa  rd.        I'ru  it:  Septcmler-Mi>:  '.inlfr. 

Flo7uers:^\\\A\\,  imperfect;  growing  in  compoiincl,  terminal  racemes  nn  jointed 
pedicels.  Calyx:  five-cleft,  cup-shaped.  Corolla:  with  five  spreading  petals. 
Stamens :  five,  inserted  on  the  lobed  disk.  Capsules :  orange-red,  the  rounded' 
divisions  bursting  and  showing  within  the  scarlet  arils.  LeaTes  :  aiternate  some- 
what two-ranked,  ovate  or  ovate-lanceolate,  long  pointed  at  the  aijcx  and 
pointed  at  the  base  ;  finely  serrate  or  crenate-serrate;  glabrous.  A  climbing, 
woody  vine. 

Through  the  dreary  and  cold  days  of  November  there  is  mticli  of  cheer- 
fulness radiated  from  this  woody  vine-like  shrub  as  it  is  seen  hung  with  its 
brilliantly  coloured  fruit.  Often  it  grows  through  woods,  climbing  over 
trees  and  rocks  and  forming  a  gay  contrast  to  the  witch-hazel  bush  in 
bloom  perhaps  not  far  distant.  The  evergreen  smilax  near  by  and  the 
cheerful  call  of  the  little  brown  quail  all  then  combine  to  shed  a  ray  of  hope 
and  life  through  the  otherwise  grey  and  cheerless  aspect  of  barren  trees. 
Besides  gathering  long  sprays  hung  with  the  fruits  for  decorating  the  home 
during  the  winter,  country  people  collect  the  roots  to  use  in  various 
medicinal  ways. 

THE  BLADDER=NUT  FAMILY. 

Staphyleacece, 

AMERICAN  BLADDER=NUT. 

SlaphyVea   trifblia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Bladder-fiut.  White.  Scentless.         South  Carolina  and  Missouri        April,  May. 

fiorthward. 

Flowers  :  growing  in  short  axillary  drooping  racemes  and  having  their  pedicels 
bracted  at  the  bases.  Calyx  :  cami^anulate,  with  five  sepals  almost  as  long  as  the 
petals.  Sepals:  five,  narrow.  Stamens:  five,  as  long  as  the  divisions  of  the 
perianth.  Pistil:  one,  with  three  styles.  Capsules:  large  ;  bladder-like,  opening 
at  the  summit  and  containing  in  each  cell  from  one  to  four  seeds.  Leaves:  oppi>- 
site;  three-foliate,  with  long  petioles,  and  linear  stipules.  Leajlets:  almost  sessile, 
excepting  the  terminal  one,  oval  or  ovate,  taper-pointed  at  the  apex  and  poinletl  or 
rounded  at  the  base  ;  finely  serrate  ;  thin  ;  jjubesceni  when  young.  A  shrub  five 
to  fifteen  feet  high,  with  smooth,  often  striped  bark. 

It  is  not  often  that  we  find  this  shrub,  and  perhaps  when  wc  do  it  puzzles 
us  a  little,  especially  if  its  delicate  white  tlowers  are  in  blow.  When 
they  are  succeeded,  however,  by  the  large  pods,  intlated  and  somewhat  the 
colour  of  bladders,  we  find  less  difficulty  in  relegating  the  shrni)  t..  this 
genus,  of  which  through  our  range  it  is  the  only  representative. 


320 


THE  MAPLE  EAMILY. 


THE  MAPLE  FAHILY. 

A  erliecE. 
Large  trees    or  shnibs^ivith  watery    or  sugary  sap;  simple  or  phmate^ 
opposite^  long petioled  leaves^mostly palmately  lobed,    and  ivhich  produce 


regular^  dioecious^ 
terminal  clusters, 
united  at  the  base. 


or  polygajnous  jlowers   growing   ift    axillary,    and 
Fruit:  of  two-winged  samaras,  each  one  seeded  and 


Acer  leiicoderme.     {Plate  CII^ 


FAMILY 
Maple. 


SHAPE 
Round-headed. 


HEIGHT 

20-40  _/t'(?/. 


TIME   OF  BLOOM 

March,  ApriL 


Bark :   very  light   coloured.      T7vigs  :  grey 


Silver  Maple. 


RANGE 

North  Carolina  and 
Georgia  soiithwestivard . 

or  reddish  brown.  Leaves  :  small, 
one  and  one  half  to  two  and  one 
half  inches  broad,  with  long, 
slender  petioles  ;  broadly  rounded 
with  cordate  bases  and  mostly 
five-lobed,  their  apices  pointed 
and  lobed,  or  entire.  Bright 
green  and  glabrous  above,  pubes- 
cent underneath  and  tufted  in  the 
angles  of  the  ribs.  Samaras : 
small  ;  three  quarters  to  an  inch 
long  with  widely  divergent  wings. 

Among  the  native  maples  this 
one  is  rather  a  curiosity,  and 
cannot  but  be  of  interest  to 
those  concerned  in  regarding 
the  genus.  The  specimen  from 
which  the  accompanying  illus- 
tration was  drawn  came  from 
the  Yellow  River  valley  of 
Georgia. 

Even  as  early  as  February 
blossoms  may  be  seen  beginning 
to  burst  forth  on  some  of  the 
precocious  species  of  maples. 
And  many  of  them  are  ex- 
quisite. It  seems  strange  there- 
fore that  comparatively  so  few 
people  should  be  conscious  oi 
their  existence.    Generally  their 


seeds  ripen  in  the  autumn,  then  fiy  by  means  of  their  membranous  wings 
and  frisk  about  until  they  find  some  niche  or  hole  to  rest  in  and  finally  ger- 


PLATE  CI  I.     /leer  leueoderme. 


322 


THE  MAPLE  FAMILY. 


minate  the  following  spring.  But  Acer  leucoderme  blooms  so  early  that 
sometimes  its  seedlings  are  well  started  in  life  before  the  winter  comes  on. 
Of  the  genus  the  many  species  have  usually  well  marked  characteristics 
and  are  respectively  known  not  only  through  their  silvicultural  character 
but  by  the  usefulness  of  their  wood,  the  properties  of  their  sap,  and  the 
ability  of  their  barks  to  yield  a  red    or  yellow  colouring  matter. 

A.  sacchdrium,  silver  maple,  white  or  soft  maple,  is  also  one  which  comes 
early  into  bloom  and  especially  when  growing  along  a  stream,  it  then  often 
putting  forth  as  early  as  February.  Its  flowers,  in  dense,  lateral,  sessile  or 
nearly  sessile  clusters,  are  therefore  well  on  with  their  seed-making  before 
the  leaves  have  begun  to  show.  The  large  samaras,  of  which  one  wing  is 
frequently  imperfectly  developed,  diverge  widely  and  hang  from  long 
drooping  pedicels.  The  tree  is  very  graceful,  with  wide-spreading  branches, 
its  leaves  being  finely  cut  and  the  sinuses  narrow  and  pointed.  And  long 
in  the  country  it  has  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth  that  when  upturned  and 
showing  their  silvery  undersides,  rain  is  on  its  way. 

A.  rubriwi,  red  or  swamp  maple,  water  maple,  also  blooms  through  the 
lower  districts  as  early  as  February,  and  even  in  the  north  during  a  mild 
winter, will  open  its  buds  at  the  first  approach  of  spring-like  weather.  Its 
flowers  are  the  mo§t  beautiful  of  all  the  maples,  being  crimson,  sometimes 
golden-tinted  and  growing  in  full,  lateral  clusters.  The  small  petals  are 
narrowly  oblong  and  the  protruding  stamens  of  the  sterile  individuals  em- 
bellish them  greatly  with  beauty.  In  shape  the  leaves  are  very  variable, 
mostly,  however,  their  three  to  five  sharp  lobes  are  irregularly  dentate,  and 
they  are  slightly  pubescent  and  pale  underneath.  Not  knowing,  perhaps,- 
the  constancy  of  this  latter  feature,  the  people  about  the  Dismal  Swamp 
believe  that  they  in  some  mysterious  way  turn  to  white  before  a  storm. 
Although  smaller  in  the  south  than  through  its  northern  range,  the  red 
maple  is  still  one  of  the  most  beautiful  trees,  its  crimson  bloom  covering  its 
grey  structure  in  earliest  spring  and  hanging  as  a  veil  over  the  grim  woods. 
In  the  autumn  also  its  foliage  turns  to  a  brilliant  unrivalled  scarlet.  Besides 
the  uses  of  the  wood  in  making  furniture  and  other  things,  the  tree's  bark 
has  been  used  to  dye  with  and  makes  an  excellent  ink.  This  the  Indians 
knew,  as  well  as  how  to  produce  an  oil  by  boiling  the  white  oak's  acorns  in 
a  strong  lye  made  from  the  wood's  ashes. 

BLACK  SUGAR  MAPLE. 

Acer  nigrum, 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Maple.  Rounded.  50-iooyi'tV.  Louisiana  and  Ala-  April,  May. 

baina  northivard. 

Bark  :  almost  black,  rough  ;  that  of  the  twigs,  greyish  or  green  when  very 
young  and  marked  with  small,  pale  dots.     Leaves :  with  long,  smooth  grooved 


THE  MAPLE  FAMILY.  323 

petioles;  broadly  rounded,  cordate  or  squared  at  the  base  and  having  from  three 
to  five  broad,  short  h)bes  with  taper-pointed  apices,  the  lower  ones  not  pruniincnt 
or  absent,  usually  entire.  S/zn/sc-s:  rounded,  squared  or  pointed.  Bright  grccii 
on  both  sides,  glabrous  above  and  bucon\ing  so  underneath.  Mimu  rs:  growing 
in  drooping  corymbs.  Samcnus:  abundant;  divergent;  ab<jut  one  and  one  half 
inches  long. 

A  tree  so  large  and  beautiful  as  the  black  maple  should,  it  seems,  be 
known  by  all,  and  undoubtedly  it  is  familiar  to  many  who  also  perchance 
mistake  it  for  the  sugar  maple.  To  this  noble  tree  it  is  indeed  very  similar 
but  can  always  be  distinguished  by  its  almost  black  bark,  the  greenness  of 
its  leaves  on  both  sides,  and  their  shorter  and  broader  lobes.  These  latter, 
however,  are  subject  to  many  variations.  In  very  large  quantities  the  sap 
of  this  tree  will  yield  sugar. 

A.  Sdcchariiin,  sugar  maple,  rock,  or  hard  maple,  grows  mostly  along  the 
mountainous  parts  of  our  range  where  its  rounded,  full  proportions  and  the 
fine,  symmetrical  shape  of  its  rather  pale  leaves  make  it  as  elsewhere  one 
of  the  most  imposing  individuals  of  our  silva.  Northward  it  is  the  principal 
source  of  maple  sugar,  but  in  the  south  it  will  not  yield  to  the  same  e.xtent 
and  therefore  the  industry  is  principally  in  vogue  among  the  natives  for  their 
own  use.  The  mountainous  district  also  is  usually  far  from  a  market. 
Through  the  testimony  of  early  writers  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  the 
Indians  knew  the  art  of  sugar-making  and  that  they  strengthened  them- 
selves by  drinking  the  sap  when  thirsty  on  their  journeys.  It  was  as  wine 
to  them.  Further  northward  they  knew  sugar-making  as  an  industry  and 
marketed  the  sugar  in  birch-bark  cornucopias.  From  the  tree's  ashes  im- 
mense quantities  of  potash  are  marketed  and  the  valuable  bird's-€ye  and 
curly  maple  are  varieties  of  its  wood. 

-  A.  Pennsyivcifiicton,  sin^Qd  maple,  or  moose  wood,  is  shade-loving,  and 
occurs  through  the  forests  in  ravines  and  cool  places  with  often  the  hem- 
locks, beeches  and  sugar  maples.  On  the  slopes  of  the  Alleghanies  and 
Blue  Ridge  mountains  it  forms  its  best  development.  Always,  however,  it  is 
a  handsome  tree  with  greenish  flowers  produced  in  long,  swaying  racemes, 
while  the  samaras  which  follow  them  vary  from  a  pale  apple-green  to  soft 
shades  of  tan.  In  the  winter  it  is  still  beautiful,  its  trunk  and  branches 
being  vertically  marked  with  lines  of  pale  blue.  Most  often  perhaps  the 
mountaineers  that  "  claim  to  know  "  the  trees,  call  it  the  goosefoot  maple, 
because  its  leaves  which  broaden  towards  the  summit  and  divide  into  three 
well  cut  lobes  suggest  to  them  that  bird's  foot. 

A.  spicaticfH,  mountain  maple,  sometimes  known  as  the  low  maple,  is 
found  through  our  range  mostly  in  the  mountains  and  usually  as  a  shrub  of 
from  six  to  ten  feet  high  ;  although  on  the  slopes  of  high  peaks  in  Tennessee 
and  North  Carolina  it  becomes  a  small  tree.     Its  bark  is  never  striped,  as 


324  THE  MAPLE  FAMILY. 

that  of  the  goosefoot  maple,  and  its  leaves  are  smaller  and  more  coarsely 
serrate.  In  similar,  although  erect  racemes,  it  bears  its  flowers.and  on  both 
species  they  bloom  after  the  leaves  have  unfolded.  The  samaras  have 
slightly  divergent  wings  and  are  really  fascinating,  as  indeed  are  all  the 
young  seeds  of  the  maples.  Early  in  the  autumn  the  leaves  show  often  on 
their  surfaces  a  mottling  of  deep  green  and  wine  colour. 


ASH=LEAVED  MAPLE.     BOX  ELDER. 

Acer  Negujido. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Maple.  Wide-spreading.         20-^0  feet  Texas  a7zd  Florida  April. 

or  iitofe.  northward.  Fruit:  July  September. 

Bark  of  bra7ichlets  :  greenish  brown  ;  ridged.  Leaves  :  compound,  with  long 
slender  stalks  ;  odd-pinnate,  with  three,  five  or  rarely  seven,  ovate  leaflets  taper- 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  pointed,  rounded  or  wedge-shaped  at  the  base;  coarsely 
and  remotely  toothed,  often  entire  at  the  base;  deep  green  above,  pale  under- 
neath, y^/^j-;  distinct;  slightly  pubescent.  Flowers:  yellowish  green  ;  dioecious; 
apetalous  ;  growing  from  the  sides  of  the  branches  in  drooping  clusters  and  ap- 
pearing mostly  before  the  leaves.  The  fertile  ones  in  racemes  of  from  six  to 
eight  inches  long.     Samaras  :  large  ;  yellowish  green,  the  wings  well  veined. 

In  many  places  the  ash-leaved  maple  is  a  common  tree  through  the 
forest,  and  prefers  to  grow  near  moisture,  often  along  the  stream's  bank. 
Through  the  bright,  cheerful  colouring  of  its  foliage  it  is  especially  attrac- 
tive. Its  connection  with  the  maples  is  established  by  its  double,  winged 
samaras  which,  however,  are  more  finely  veined  than  theirs,  and  often  be- 
come in  the  late  season  tinted  with  pink,  or  pale  purple.  Its  foliage  is 
more  nearly  like  one  of  the  ashes,  in  fact  "  stinking  ash  "  is  the  tree's 
familiar  appellation  in  South  Carolina ;  for  its  bark  is  rather  disagreeably 
scented.  Of  this  the  people  become  aware  when  collecting  it  for 
officinal  use.  In  cultivation  the  tree  is  much  seen  and  is  desirable  on  ac- 
count of  its  beauty  and  ability  to  withstand  dry  weather.  It  is,  however, 
not  long  lived  and  becomes  when  old  very  scraggly. 


THE  BUCKEYE  FAMILY. 

HippocastaiiacecE, 

Includiftg  forest  trees,  or  shrubs  with  opposite,  three  to  7iine foliate 
leaves  and  irregular  flowers  which  grow  in  laroe,  terminal  panicles. 


THE  BUCKEYE  FAMILY.  3.5 

SWEET  BUCKEYE.     BIG,  OR  YELLOW  BUCKEYE. 

^■Esculus  Oct  and r  a. 


FAMILY 

SHAPE 

HEIGHT 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Buckeye, 

Co  lit  pact. 

y-^yject. 

Giort^ia  north wn rd 
and  Wistwdrd. 

Apul-Junt. 
Fruit:  Sfptctnher. 

Bark:  dark  brown,  smooth  or  separating  into  thin  strips.  liranchUts:  orange- 
brown  when  young.  Leaves:  pahnately-conipouncl  with  usually  five  or  soniciinu-. 
seven,  long,  oval,  or  elliptical  leaflets,  taper-pointed  at  the  aj)ex  and  base;  sliari)ly- 
serrate,  glabrous  above  and  pubescent  along  the  ribs  underneath,  /^'itrvers:  pale 
yellow,  growing  on  pedicels  in  close  panicles.  CWi'j:.'  oblong,  with  five  points. 
'Corolla:  with  four  petals,  the  upper  narrower  and  longer  than  the  others, 
Staviens:  shorter  than  the  petals.  J'ruit :  a  round  green  "husk,  uneven  on  the 
surface,  but  without  prickles  and  enclosing  one    or  two  large  brown,  shiny  nuts. 

Among  the  non-evergreen  trees  we  find  few  more  beautiful  than  this.the 
handsomest  of  the  American  buckeyes  ;  and  through  our  forests  there  are 
none  others  which  produce  leaflets  spreading  like  the  fingers  of  a  hand. 
In  the  spring  also  their  flowers  are  more  showy  than  those  of  the  greater 
number  of  trees.  On  the  high  mountain  slopes  of  North  Carolina  and 
Tennessee  the  sweet  buckeye  attains  splendid  proportions  and  is  there 
quite  common.  As  of  all  the  species  its  light  coloured  wood  is  soft,  straight 
grained  and  easily  worked,  and  is  mostly  employed  for  the  making  of  small 
articles  and  paper.  The  seeds  of  the  genus  as  is  well  known  are  too  bitter 
to  be  palatable  to  man,  but  cattle  and  sheep  feed  on  them  freely.  Flour  is 
made  from  them, and  the  paste  produced  with  such  has  great  tenacity  and  is 
not  eaten  by  moths.  Bookbinders  greatly  prefer  it  to  all  other  similar 
stuffs.  But  the  silent  moonshiner  has  a  use  all  his  own  for  this  buckeye's 
seeds,  as  they  are  not  peculiarly  scented  like  those  of  other  species.  With 
them  he  gives  the  appearance  of  age,  or  the  bead,  as  he  calls  it.  to  the 
whiskey  he  has  distilled  in  some  deep  ravine,  the  still  being  hidden  perhaps 
by  the  very  tree's  dense  shade. 

^.  pdvia,  red  buckeye,which  may  be  found  from  Florida  to  North  Caro- 
lina and  westward,  occurs  as  a  small  tree  or  shrub  and  is  distinguished  by 
its  five  lanceolate,  or  oval,  finely  serrate  leaflets  and  its  unusual-looking 
panicle  of  red  flowers.  The  husk  of  its  fruit  also  has  the  peculiarity  of  be- 
ing quite  smooth.  By  its  bruised  branches  and  roots  a  most  disagreeable 
odour  is  emitted  while  the  latter  contain  a  mucilaginous  substance  which 
many  natives  utilise  as  soap.  The  ingenious  also  employ  their  narcotic 
properties  as  a  means  of  stupefying  fish. 

jE.  parvijlbra  approaches  at  most  ten  feet  high,  is  shrubby  and  bears  a 
long,  raceme-like  panicle  of  white  flowers  with  stamens  about  three  times 
as  long  as  the  corolla.  Underneath  its  leaflets  arc  covered  with  a  white 
tomentum.  In  the  upper  districts  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  it  is 
mostly  found. 


326 


THE  BUCKEYE  FAMILY, 


A.  Hippocdstamun,  horse  chestnut,  the  symmetrical  and  beautiful  tree  so 
much  seen  in  cultivation  and  bearing  upright  exquisite  bunches  of  flowers  and 
spiny  fruit,  is  not  a  native  of  this  country,  but  has  been  introduced  from 
Europe. 


% 


fSi''';^-^'-j 


Buckeyes  near  Grandfather  Mountain. 


THE  JEWEL=WEED  FAfllLY, 


Bills  aininacecB. 


JEWEL=WEED.    TOUCH=nE=NOT.    SILVER=LEAF. 

hnpaticns  bifibra. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

^eivel-zveed. 

Orange-ycllo-M  spotted 
with  7- eddish  broivn. 

Scentless. 

Florida  and  Mis- 
souri northward. 

June-October. 

Flowers:  nodding  from  thread-like,  axillary  pedicels,  bracted  about  the  middle. 
Calyx  :  with  three  unequal  sepals,  the  large  petal-like  one  extending  backward 
into  a  sac  which  tapers  into  a  little  spur.  Corolla  :  with  two  of  the  jjetals  cleft 
into  dissimilar  lobes.  Stamens:  five,  cohering  about  the  ovary.  Pistil :  one. 
Pods:  bursting  elastically  to  release   the  seeds.     Leaves:  simple;  alternate,  with 


THE  JEWEL-WEED  FAMILY. 


327 


m- 


n 


petioles;  ovate  or  elliptical,  pointed  or  blunt  at  the  apex,  coarsely  toothed;  thin, 
pale  and  glaucous  underneath.     Stems  :  much  branched,  tender,  purplish. 

In  an  old  publication  more  replete  with  sentiment  than  many   that  are 
now   seen  the    jewel-weed,  under 
the  name  of    the  "  Hummint,^-bird 
Tree,"  is  described  as  follows  : 

"  This  plant  the  humming-bird 
feedeth  upon,  it  groweth  in  wet 
ground  and  is  not  at  its  full  growth 
till  July,  and  then  it  is  two  cubits 
high  and  better,  the  leaves  are  thin 
and  of  a  pale  green  colour,  some 
of  them  as  big  as  a  nettle  leaf,    it      K    t-,r:  »'' 

spreads  into  many  branches,  knotty  ■ ;  _'  ,  ^4 

at  the  setting  on,  and  of  a  purple  "if,'  ''  ' 

colour,  and  garnished    at    the    top  ,  ■ -i  .  .  3 

with  many  hollow,  dangling  flow-         •••■••;v/.  ^ 

ers,  speckled  with  deeper  yellow  as  -  J 

if  it  were  shadowed,  the  stalks  are  ' 

all  hollow  as  a  kix  and  so  are  the 
roots  which  are  transparent,  very 
tender  and  full  of  a  yellowish 
juice." 

Indeed  no  lovelier  wild  flower 
grows  than  the  jewel-weed,  and 
delicate  though  it  appears,  it  some- 
times grows  in  moist  places  to  a 
height  of   five  or  six  feet.     Many  jcivcl-wccd. 

leaves  as  being  able  to  cure  the  effects  of 


Its 


country  people  now  regard 
poison  ivy. 

/.  aurea,  pale  touch-me-not,  is  very  similar  to  the  other  species  but  grows 
taller  and  stouter  and  has  its  flowers  less  spotted  with  brown,  they  some- 
times being  quite  without  dots  of  any  sort.  That  both  of  these  plants  are 
called  touch-me-not  is  in  reference  to  the  way  their  pods  burst  open  and 
coil  up  thus  scattering  the  seeds,  whenever  jarred  by  the  slightest  touch. 


328  THE  BUCKTHORN  FAMILY. 

THE  BUCKTHORN  FAMILY. 

RkaninacecB, 

Trees  or  shrubs^  the  latter  erect  or  climbing^  7vith  stipulate^  simple, 
mostly  alternate  leaves  a?id  tvhite,  or  greenish,  regular  flowers  which 
grow  in  axillary  or  tertniftal  inflorescences.  Fruit :  a  drupe  or  cap- 
sule. 

SUPPLE=JACK. 
Berchhnia  scdndens. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

iickthorn. 

Greenish  white. 

Scentless. 

Florida  and  Texas 
to  North  Carolina. 

June. 
Fruit:  September. 

Flowers:  very  small  ;  growing  in  axillary  or  terminal  clusters.  Calyx:  five- 
toothed.  Petals  :  five,  about  as  long  as  the  calyx.  Stamens  :  five,  with  thread- 
like filaments.  Drupe:  purple,  oval,  the  crustaceous  stone  two-celled.  Leaves: 
alternate,  with  slender  petioles,  ovate  or  oblong  ;  pinnately  veined  ;  the  margins 
undulate  or  revolute  ;  bright-green  and  lustrous  above,  paler  below  and  slightly 
rusty  pubescent  along  the  veins.     A  climbing,  woody  shrub. 

It  is  through  swamps  that  this  supple  high-climbing  shrub  is  usually  found 
upholding  its  pretty,  often  purplish-tinted  leaves,  and  where  in  the  autumn 
it  becomes  conspicuous  through  its  abundant  fruit. 

INDIAN   CHERRY.     CAROLINA    BUCKTHORN.    {^Plate  CIII.) 
Rhanuius  Caroliniana. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Buckthorn.         Greenish.         Scentless.  Florida  to  North  Carolina  April-Jtine. 

and  westzvard.  Fruit:  September. 

Flowers  :  very  small  ;  perfect  ;  growing  on  a  thick,  axillary  peduncle  in  rounded 
umbels.  Calyx  :  campanulate,  five-cleft.  Petals  :  minute  ;  obovate.  Stamens  : 
short.  Drupe  :\A2icV  when  ripe,  sweet,  rounded.  Leaves:  alternate,  with  slender 
pubescent  petioles  and  minute,  early  falling  stipules;  elliptical,  or  broadly  oblong, 
rounded  or  pointed  at  the  base,  finely  and  obscurely  serrate,  or  entire;  bright-green 
and  lustrous,  velvety  pubescent  along  the  veins  underneath  ;  deciduous.  A  shrub, 
or  small  tree. 

Sometimes  with  the  red  maples,  the  Carolina  buckthorn  grows  along 
stream  borders  and  in  low  grounds  from  Tennessee  and  Kentucky  to  Florida 
and  Texas.  As  a  shrub  even  it  becomes  quite  tall,  and  in  western  Florida 
is  a  slender,  spreading  tree  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  high.  Its 
sweet,  cherry-like  fruit  is  very  good  to  the  taste  ;  but  the  plant  seems  to  have 
the  unfortunate,  traditionary  reputation  of  foreboding  misfortune  whenever 
dreamed  about. 


PLATE  cm.     INDIAN   CHERRY.     Rhanniia;  C.jrolhii'jtjj, 
i3~9) 


330  THE  BUCKTHORN  FAMILY. 

RED=ROOT.     NEW  JERSEY  TEA. 

CreaiibtJms  Americanus. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Buckthorn. 

White. 

Scentless. 

Texas  and  Louisiana 
northward. 

May-July, 

Flmvers :  crowded  in  small,  umbel-like  clusters  which  together  form  dense  ter- 
minal panicles.  Calyx:  with  five, 'rounded  whitish  lobes.  Corolla:  with  five 
hood-shaped  petals.  Slamens :  five.  Pistil:  one,  with  a  three-lobed  stigma. 
Fniit  :  three-lobed,  and  splitting  at  maturity  in  three  carpels.  Leaves  :  with  short 
petioles;  ovate,  rounded,  or  subcordate  at  the  base  and  mostly  pointed  at  the 
ape.x  ;  three-ribbed;  finely  serrate;  paler  and  dingy  pubescent  underneath.  A 
shrub,  one  to  three  feet  high, with  tomentose  twigs  which  later  become  glabrous. 
Roots  :  dark  red. 

On  the  high  Alleghanies,  where  the  fleecy,  pretty  bloom  of  this  plant  is 
seen  often  in  great  masses,  it  is  perhaps  generally  regarded  as  being  use- 
ful. A  bouquet  would  hardly  ever  be  picked  of  it,  for  such  in  these  parts  is 
not  the  function  of  fiowers.  But  in  the  autumn  its  dark  red  roots  are  col- 
lected, not  only  for  the  cinnamon  coloured  dye  they  yield,  but  also  to  be 
used  as  a  curative  for  diseases  of  the  spleen.  Then  in  such  enormous 
quantities  do  the  mountaineers  drink  the  decoction  that  by  a  native  doctor 
I  was  told  they  often  produce  inflammation  of  that  organ.  This  practice, 
although  not  its  abuse,  they  seem  to  have  learned  directly  from  the 
Cherokee  Indians.  During  the  Revolution  the  leaves  of  the  red-root  were 
used  as  a  substitute  for  tea  by  many  of  the  troops. 

THE  GRAPE  FAMILY. 

Vitacecs. 

A  group  of  dhnbing  or  erect  shrubs  with  watery  sap  and  simple., 
or  co7npouiid,  alternate  leaves;  and  which  bear  small  greenish  floivers.^ 
growi7ig  in  panicles,  racei7ies  or  cymes.     Fruit :   a  berry. 

PEPPER=VINE.     PINNATE=LEAVED  AMPELOPSIS. 

{Plate  CIV.) 

Ampclopsis  arbor ea. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Grape. 

Greenish. 

Scentless. 

Florida  and  Texas  to 

May,  June. 

Alissouri  and  Virginia, 

Fruit:  September, 

Flowers:  very  small;  perfect;  regular;  growing  in  short  cymose  panicles. 
Petals :  five,  distinct,  spreading.  Berries  :  one  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  black 
lustrous.     Seeds:    bony.     Leaves:    compound;    twice     or    thrice    pinnate  ;    the 


PLATE  CIV.      PEPPER-VINE.     Awpclopus  .irborcj. 
(331) 


332  THE  GRAPE  FAMILY. 

leaflets  ovate,  long  pointed  at  the  apex;  mostly  sharply  and  deeply  serrate;  bright 
green  and  lustrous  above,  very  slightly  pubescent  on  the  veins  below.  An  ascend- 
ing vine. 

Vigorous  and  strong  as  is  mostly  the  growth  of  this  plant,  it  can  hardly 
be  said  to  climb ;  frequently  even  it  shows  its  inabiUty  to  do  so  by  being  al- 
together without  tendrils.  This  we  notice  the  more  as  it  is  closely  related 
to  the  Virginia  creeper  and  the  wild,  or, fox  grape,  Vitis  Labrusca,  which 
winds  itself  so  delightfully  about  unresponsive  objects  and  twines  its  stem 
in  long  falling  loops.  The  fruit  of  the  pepper-vine  also,  while  attractive  to 
the  eye,  is  not  at  all  good  to  eat. 

A.  cor  data,  simple-leaved  Ampelopsis,on  the  contrary,  is  found  climbing 
strongly  over  rock  and  tree  by  means  of  its  long  tendrils.  Its  large,  simple 
leaves  moreover  are  mostly  heart-shaped, 

Parthenocisstis  qumquefblia,  Virginia  creeper,  American,  or  five-leaved 
ivy,  designates  the  noble  vine  so  abundantly  seen  throughout  the  south  and 
which  at  times  climbs  by  means  of  its  lateral  tendrils  right  to  the  top  of  very 
high  trees.  That  it  has  five  oblong-obovate  leaflets,  palmately  arranged, 
should  be  remembered  as  a  simple  means  of  distinguishing  it  from  poison 
ivy,  which  has  never  more  than  three. 

At  Blowing  Rock,  North  Carolina,  late  in  the  autumn  an  abundance  of 
this  beautiful  climber,  then  turned  to  deep  and  brilliant  shades  of  crimson 
and  abundantly  hung  with  blue  berries,  had  been  brought  in  the  hotel  to 
decorate  a  doorway.  Instantly  a  lively  discussion  arose  among  the  guests 
as  to  whether  or  not  it  was  poison  ivy,  and  some  remarkable  stories  w^ere 
told  of  its  power  to  work  harm.  It  soon  fell  under  the  general  ban  of  dis- 
approval and  was  carried  away  regretted  by  few. 


THE  LINDEN  FAMILY. 

TilidcecB, 

Trees,  herbs  or  shrubby  plants  with  siiriple,  alter7tate,  rarely  opposite 
leaves  and  axillary  or  generally  cyfnose  or  paniculate  flowers  the  plants 
bei?ig  widely  distributed  in  tropical  or  warm  regions,  and  chiefly  repre- 
sented in  our  range  by  the  genus  Tilia. 


THE  LINDEN  FAMILY.  t^^^ 

WHITE  BASSWOOD.     BEE  TREE,     {r/^/^  CI'.) 

Tilea  hcteruphylla. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Linden.         Roumied  with         s,o--]oJeet.         Florida  und  Alnhattta  J **'tfy  J nl)- 

tapering  suvitnit.  northward  to  Pennsylvania^ 

Bark:  dark  brown;  ridged  vertically  and  separating  into  thin  scales.  L^ajrs: 
four  to  five  feet  long;  slender  i)etioled;  rounded  in  outline,  with  abruptly  pointed 
apex  and  squared  or  cordate  base,  one-suled  ;  sharply  and  irregularly  serrate; 
dark  green;  smooth  and  glossy  above  at  maturity,  silvery  j)ubcscent  underneath, 
especially  in  the  angles  of  the  light  coloured  ribs.  Flmvcrs :  cream  coloured; 
fragrant;  growing  in  cymes  on  long,  slender  peduncles  that  hang  from  a  broad, 
membranaceous  bract.  Sepals:  five,  softly  pubescent.  J'ttals :  five,  narrow. 
Staiuens  :  numerous  and  adhering  in  clusters  to  the  i)etal  scales  or  with  each  other 
in  five  sets.  Fruit :  greenish  grey  ;  round  and  resembling  peas,  the  style  and 
five-toothed  stigma  projecting  from  the  top. 

Perhaps  the  linden  is  more  famed  among  the  bee  commimity  than  any 
other  tree  of  our  silva.  Most  assiduously  they  seek  its  fragrant,  cream- 
coloured  blossoms  to  gather  nectar  and  then  produce  a  honey  which  is 
highly  regarded  in  Europe  as  well  as  in  this  country.  Truly  also  it  is  a 
beautiful  tree  of  high  bred,  refined  expression.  The  seedlings,  and  by  this 
tertn  is  meant  those  that  have  not  yet  reached  a  height  of  three  feet,  are  un- 
usually pretty,  their  leaves  showing  from  the  first  little  cotyledons  that  ap- 
pear in  several  different  outlines  before  settling  down  to  their  approved  form. 
This  species  of  Tilia  although  rare  through  northern  forests  is  much 
chosen  for  planting  and  can  readily  be  told  from  other  American  species 
by  the  silvery  down  on  the  undersides  of  its  leaves. 

The  wood  of  the  species  just  described  is  light  brown,  rather  weak,  but 
often  used  for  similar  purposes  to  those  of  the  tulip-tree;  and  when  the 
supply  of  red  cedar  shall  have  been  exhausted,  it  may  be  chosen  to  take  its 
place  in  supplying  material  for  lead-pencils.  A  mucilaginous  substance  also 
is  contained  in  the  bark  which  natives  in  certain  parts  of  the  south  make 
into  a  liniment  for  curing  scalds  and  burn^. 

T.  Amer/cdna,  American  linden,  basswood  or  white  wood,  grows  along 
river  bottoms  and  in  rich,  moist  woods  from  Georgia  and  Texas  northward, 
and  while  bearing  leaves  almost  identical  in  outline  with  those  of  the  while 
basswood,  are  smaller  and  quite  without  the  silvery-white,  underlying 
pubescence  which  characterises  the  other. 

T.  pubcscens,  southern  basswood,  at  most  about  fifty  feet  high,  is  very 
similar  to  Tilia  Americana,  and  known  from  it  by  its  smaller  leaves  which 
have  often  on  both  sides  a  dense  pubescence  while  again  they  become  almost 
glabrous  above.  The  shoots  of  the  southern  basswood  also  are  coated 
with  woolly  pubescence,  at  least  during  their  early  stages.  Its  very  fra- 
grant flowers  are  well  known  to  the  bees  and  its  bark  is  used  medicinally. 


PLATE   CV.     WHITE   BASSWOOD.     TUia  hetcrophylla. 
(334) 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

Mallow. 

Fur  pic. 

Scentless. 

Alahavia  to  .\orth  Car- 
olina and  ivestivat  d. 

THE  MALLOW  FAMILY.  ^y 


THE  HALLOW  FAHILY. 

iMahacccr. 

Shrubs  or  herbs,  rarely  trees,  7oith  alternate,  mostly  palmatcly-veiihil 
teai'es,  and  JJou'crs  ivhich  are  regular  and  perfeet,  icith  numerous 
sta?nens  united  about  the  pistil  into  a  sort  of  eolitniti. 

CLUSTERED  POPPY  MALLOW. 

Callirrha'  trlamiulata. 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 
Jum-A  n^uit. 

Flo7vers:  growing  sparingly  in  terminal  panicles  and  having  a  three-leaved, 
rough  and  persistent  involucre  at  the  base.  Calyx  :  rough,  rue-|)artcd.  Corottn] 
with  five  thin  petals.  Stamens:  numerous;  united  into  a  column-like  formation 
about  the  style.  Carpets:  hairy  with  kidney-shaped  seeds.  Lea-.es  :  with  very 
long,  roughly  pubescent  petioles  ;  triangular-hastate,  the  upper  ones  smaller  with 
three  to  five  lobes,  short-petioled,  unequally  crenate,  or  dentate.  Stem  :  two  to 
three  feet  high,  ascending,  branched  above,  purplish  and  roughly  pubescent. 

As  flowers  succeed  one  another,  not  in  regular  set  gradations  of  size  and 
form,  but  perhaps  in  gorgeousness,  we  find  in  mid-summer  the  mallows 
spreading  their  bloom.  And  about  the  whole  genus  from  the  largest  mem- 
ber to  the  smallest  there  is  an  unmistakable  look,  a  bond  of  union  in  the 
peculiar  growth  of  the  stamens  about  the  style.  Some  of  them  are  coarse, 
hairy  and  awkward,  wdiiie  others  represent  the  most  splendid  of  our  wild 
flowers.  This  one  grows  in  dry  soil,  and  appears  very  showy  with  its  pur- 
ple, poppy-like  flowers. 

C.  Papaver,  a  low,  slender  species,  also  with  purple  flowers,  is  found 
through  the  rich  woods  of  Florida  and  Georgia.  Its  leaves  are  from  tiiree 
to  five  times  parted  into  lanceolate  divisions,  toothed  or  entire.  Occasionally 
about  the  flowers  there  is  no  involucre, and  when  present  it  has  from  one  to 
three  leaves. 

VIRGINIA    KOSTELETZKYA. 

Kosteletzkya   Virg  in  it  <  i . 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF   BLOOM 

JMalloio. 

Fink. 

Scentless. 

Florida  and  Louis- 
iana to  Ne-iu  York. 

July   O.tol.r. 

Ftmvers  :  growing  in  terminal,  loose  panicles.  Ln'otucn:  :  with  eight  to  nine 
thread-like,  persistent  bracts.  Calyx  :  persistent ;  with  five  lanceolate  segments. 
Corolla:  with  five,  delicate   petals.     Stamens:  numerous,  monodclphous,  the  tol- 


S36  THE  MALLOW  FAMILY. 

umn  surrounding  the  style.  Carpels :  five,  depressed,  very  rough,  hairy  and  con- 
taining one  seed  in  each  cell.  Leaves:  those  on  the  lower  ])art  of  the  stem  ovate, 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  cordate  at  the  base  ;  those  at  the  upper  part  mostly 
hastate,  lobed  near  the  base  ;  unequally  dentate  ;  rough  and  pubescent  on  both 
sides.     Stem:  erect,  stout,  branched,  roughly  pubescent. 

Especially  in  the  swamps  near  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  where  is 
clustered  such  a  wealth  of  flowers,  does  this  plant  with  its  delicate  pink 
blossoms  grow  in  great  luxury.  Were  it  not  for  the  difference  in  their  cap- 
sules it  might  readily  pass  for  a  Hibiscus,  so  like  is  it  to  them  in  general 
characteristics. 


SCARLET  HIBISCUS. 

Hibiscus  coccineus. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME   OF    BLOOM 

Mallow. 

Scarlet. 

Scentless. 

Florida  and  Georgia 
westward. 

Jul}'.,  August. 

Flcnue7-s  :  large  ;  very  showy;  often  six  to  eight  inches  in  diameter  ;  solitary,  or  a 
few  growing  in  a  terminal  cluster.  Calyx  :  with  five  long,  ovate,  pointed  sepals, 
and  having  underneath  a  row  of  twelve  linear-pointed  bracts.  Corolla  :  with  five, 
broadly-obovate,  long-clawed  petals,  rounded  at  their  apices  and  becoming  deep 
magenta  at  the  base  where  they  are  slightly  ciliate.  Stamens  :  numerous  ;  mono- 
delphous,  forming  a  column-like  formation  about  the  style,  from  all  sides  of  which 
the  anthers  are  borne  near  the  summit.  Style  :  one,  with  four  divisions  above  the 
column.  Capsule:  globose,  or  oblong;  five-celled,  containing  many  pubescent 
seeds.  Leaves :  with  long,  smooth  petioles,  ovate,  and  palmately  divided  into 
three  to  five  linear-lanceolate  segments,  pointed  at  their  apices  and  remotely 
toothed;  glabrous.     Stem  :  four  to  eight  feet  high;  smooth;   glabrous. 

In  deep,  almost  inaccessible  marshes  near  the  coast  and  raising  itself 
higher  than  rushes,  tall  and  thrifty,  there  opens  to  the  sun  in  late  summer 
the  great  glorious  bloom  of  the  scarlet  hibiscus.  Like  a  small  ball  of  fire  it 
then  appears  from  afar  as  surrounded  by  an  intense  greenness,  and  pro- 
duces in  fact  a  startling  tropical  effect  wherever  it  grows.  Even  more  beau- 
tiful it  is  through  the  brilliancy  of  its  colour  than  the  better  known  rose 
mallow.  Hibiscus  Moscheutos. 

H.  grandiflbrus,  the  great  flowered  member  of  the  genus,  is  often  crowned 
wuth  blossoms  as  wide  as  twelve  inches.  They  are  pale  rose  colour,  becom- 
ing deep  red  at  the  centre  and  fairly  transform  in  July  the  marshes  along 
the  coast.  Truly  then  the  plant  appears  an  astonishing  wild  flower.  Its 
leaves  are  known  by  being  rounded  ovate,  long  pointed,  lobed  and  deeply 
toothed  and  velvety  to  the  touch  especially  on  the  lower  side.  The  flower's 
calyx  also  is  soft,  like  velv'et. 

H.  Moscheiitos,  rose  mallow,  or  swamp  mallow,  bears  a  flower  which, 
while  smaller,  resembles  closely  the  preceding  species.  In  August  it 
blooms  through  swamps,  and  often  side  by  side  with  the  pink  form  will  be 


While  accustomed  to  seeing  ?>iasses  of  lordly  coreopses  lining 
its  banks,  and  in  profusion  sennas  through  ndiich  even  the 
tender  jewel-7veed  sJuvie  ;  it  7uas  unexpected,  for  its  season  7vas 
nearly  over^  to  find  the  scarlet  hibiscus  bhnving  radiantly  from 
lands  along  the  St.  John's  river.  Astonishingly  gay  was  its 
fire-like  fice,  and  as  well  guarded  from  the  hands  of  timid 
mortals  as  though  it  had  been  a  fiame.  For  tJirough  this 
intense  maze  of  verdure^  tall  palm  trees  and  grey  //u^ss, 
stories  of  sjiakes  are  more  abundant  than  plant-lore,  the  much 
desired.  JVe  shuddered  eve/i  to  think  of  treading  in  the  soggy 
unkno7i>n. 

(CVI.) 


THE  iMALLOW  I'AMILV.  ;^^j 

seen  a  white  one  spotted  deeply  at  its  petal's  bases  uuu  ma-enta.  The 
leaves  are  ovate,  or  ovate  lanceolate,  often  three  lobed  above  the  middle. 
From  Florida  to  Massachusetts  it  occurs  westward  to  Louisiana  and 
Ontario, 

//.  acideatus  flaunts  a  rather  coarse  style  of  beauty,  and  nearly  all  its 
parts  are  covered  with  white,  glass-like  bristles,  tine  and  sharp.  They  even 
occur  on  the  outer  sides  of  the  lemon-yellow  petals  which  at  their  bases 
become  deep  magenta.  Mostly  these  (lowers  grow  in  an  axillary  way.  and 
it  is  noticed  that  their  underlying  bracts  have  a  tendency  to  become  forked 
near  the  apex. 

In  Florida  especially,  and  through  the  south,  there  are  many  other 
Hibiscus  to  be  seen  than  those  which  have  been  mentioned.  The  flowers  of 
these  vary  from  very  small  ones  to  those  about  two  inches  wide,  or  again 
we  see  the  great  tiowered  ones. 

Among  common  weeds  also  that  have  been  introduced  into  this  country 
and  members  of  the  mallow  family  we  find  growing  by  fences  and  along 
waysides  Abutilon  Abutilon,  bearing  small  yellow  flowers,  and  the  better 
known  Malva  rotundifolia  with  graceful,  rounded  leaves  and  small,  bluish 
l)urple  flowers  which  later  produce  the  parcheeses  eaten  and  beloved  by 
children. 

As  examples  of  the  family  seen  in  cultivation  is  tlie  beautiful  rose  of 
Sharon,  Hibiscus  syriacus  ;  the  cotton  plants,  Gossypium,  in  species  and 
varieties,  and  the  okra,  Hibiscus  esculentus.  Of  this  last,  as  well  as  being 
a  vegetable  of  importance,  it  is  known  that  its  stems  furnish  fibres  which, 
like  those  of  ramie  and  jute, are  capable  of  being  woven  into  fabrics. 

THE  TEA  FAHILY. 

Thcdcccc. 
Trees,    or   shrubs  with    simple    mostly  alternate  leaves  and  Iwarinj^ 
large,  regular  and  mostly  perfect  floiuers  in  either  an  axillary,  or  termi- 
nal ifijlorescenee. 

nOUNTAIN  STUARTIA.    ANGEL=FRUITED  STUARTIA. 

Stuart ia  pentagyna. 

FAMILY         COLCUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Jea.  CrtLDn-ivkiie.  Sceittlfss.  Georiiia  atui  Alabatii.x   to  May-July. 

North  Carolina  and  Kintucky. 

Flowers:  large;  solit.iry  ;  axillary.  Calyx:  with  five  lanceolate  and  hairy 
sepals.     Corolla  :  with     five    large   obovatc    petals,    uneven    about     tiieir    cilges. 


S3^  THE  TEA  FAMILY. 

Stamens:  numerous.  Styles:  five.  Capsule:  ovoid;  hairy  and  opening  in  five 
sections.  Seeds:  margined  with  wings.  Leaves:  alternate;  ovate  or  oval,  taper- 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  pointed,  or  rounded  at  the  base;  ciliate  about  the  margins 
and  projecting  remote  bristles;  bright-green  above  and  glabrous,  lighter  below 
and  pubescent.      A  shrub  six  to  twelve  feet  high  with  greyish  brown  branches. 

It  seems  strange  that  a  shrub  so  bold  and  striking  and  fairly  enchanting 
when  in  blow  as  the  mountain  Stuartia  should  be  so  little  known  by  the 
country  people  through  its  range.  Along  the  southern  exposures  of  the 
Blue  Ridge,  where  sometimes  it  is  fairly  covered  with  large  white  flowers 
looking  lik-e  single  camelias  the  mountaineers  have  apparently  no  knowledge 
of  its  existence.  It  is  also  rarely  seen  in  cultivation,  although  it  is  hardy, 
as  far  northward  as  New  England.  The  Stuartias  and  Gordonias  are, 
moreover,  the  only  relatives  in  this  country  of  the  important  tea  plant. 

S.  Malachodcndron,  round-fruited  Stuartia,  is  a  large  shrub  about  twelve 
feet  high,  and  bears  also  beautiful  creamy  white  flowers,  the  petals  of  which 
have  on  them  numerous  silky  white  hairs.  Its  foliage  is  considerably 
smaller  than  that  of  the  other,  and  a  specific  difference  is  that  its  seeds  are 
without  margins.  It  grows  also  in  woods  from  Louisiana  and  Florida  to 
Virginia,  and  for  one  place  is  found  about  Summerville,  S.  C. 

LOBLOLLY  BAY.     TAN  BAY.     {Plate  CVII.) 
Gordbnia    lasidnthns. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Tea.  W/iite.  Slightly  fragrant.         Florida  to  Virginia.  May-July. 

FloTvers:  large;  solitary  at  the  ends  of  long,  smooth  axillary  peduncles.  Calyx: 
with  five  orbicular,  silky  sepals,  ciliate  on  the  margins.  Corolla:  with  five 
large,  rounded  petals,  ciliate  and  softly  pubescent  on  the  outside.  Stamens: 
numerous,  cohering  in  clusters  to  the  bases  of  the  petals.  Pistil:  one;  stigma, 
five-divided.  Frtiit :  a  woody,  ovoid  capsule.  Leaves  :  alternate  ;  oblanceolate  ; 
bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  short  margined  petioles  ; 
serrate,  becoming  entire  at  the  base  ;  thick,  like  leather  ;  smooth  on  both  sides  ; 
evergreen.     A  tree  .forty  to  seventy  feet  high. 

As  the  loblolly  bay  raises  its  slender  pyramidal  form  amid  swamps  hung 
with  an  over-heated  thick  growth,  and  where  mostly  the  tillandsia  and  amber 
lights  of  the  setting  sun  are  reflected  in  the  water,  it  covers  itself  in  mid- 
summer with  pure  white  blossoms,  waxy  and  faintly  fragrant.  They  are 
very  like  camelias,  and  the  trees  have  about  them  somewhat  the  same  charm 
as  magnolias  laden  with  bloom.  They  seldom  grow  in  swamps  further 
away  than  a  hundred  miles  from  the  coast,  although  occasionally  they  in- 
habit low  moist  woods.  The  wood  they  produce  is  of  fine  quality  but 
much  too  brittle  to  be  of  any  real  service,  and  the  readiness  of  the  limbs  to 
break  often  causes  these  plants  to  look  scraggly  w^hen  old. 

G.  Altainaha,  Franklinia  {Plate  CVIIl),  is  especially  interesting  to  us,  it 


\ 


p* 

^ 

1 

W' 

1 

t 

PLATE   evil.      LOBLOI  LY   BAY.      Conhuiia  huianthi 


COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY  FREOtRICK   A.   STOKES  COMPANY 
PRINTED  IN  AMERICA 


THE  TEA  FAMILY.  ;^^<^ 

being  at  present  a  lost  species.  And  although  yearly  it  is  searched  for 
by  those  who  would  cover  themselves  with  glory  as  did  the  rediscoverers  of 
shortia,  it  still  remains  unresponsive  to  their  efforts  and  enthusiasm.  From 
the  loblolly  bay  it  is  distinguished  by  its  deciduous  leaves  which  appear  to 
grow  less  thickly  along  the  branches  ;  its  flowers  which  are  almost  sessile. 
or  occur  on  thick  pedicels  hardly  an  eighth  of  an  inch  long;  and  the  dense 
velvety  pubescence  which  for  a  long  time  clings  to  the  undersides  of  the 
young  leaves. 

Concerning  its  history  we  know  that  in  1765  it  was  discovered  along  the 
Altamaha  River  in  Georgia  by  John  Bartram.  It  there  grew  with  Pinckneya 
pubens.  Its  common  name  was  bestowed  on  it  by  John  Bartram  and  his 
father  in  honour  of  Benjamin  Franklin.  It  was  visited  later  by  Marshall  and 
other  botanists.  But  since  1790  no  one  has  seen  it  growing  in  a  wild  state. 
At  Fairmount  Park  in  Philadelphia  there  are  still  a  few  representatives,  and 
the  plant  from  which  the  accompanying  sketch  was  taken  is  now  in  cultiva- 
tion at  Biltmore. 


THE  ST.  JOHN'S=WORT  FAMILY. 

Hypericaccce, 

In  our  species  shrubs^  or  herbs  with  simple^  opposite,  rarely  whorlcd 
and  entire  leaves,  black  dotted;  atid  which  bear  regular,  terminal,  or 
axillary  flowers  with  nmneroiis  stamens  usually  in  sets  0/ three  or  pre 
inserted  on  the  receptacle  ;  the  flowers  being  mostly  yellow  and  luith 
their  parts  in  fours  or  fives. 

MOUNTAIN  ST.  J0HN'5=W0RT. 

Hypericum  graveolens. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

St.Johns-ivort.     Pale  yellow.     Scenthws.      Virginia  and  Xorth  Carolina,        J uly,  Auf^uit. 

Flcnvei's  :  large;  growing  on  pedicels  in  both  lateral  and  terminal  cymes.  Ci/rx: 
with  five  lanceolate,  short  sepals.  Corolla  :  with  five  oblong  petals  usually 
rounded  at  the  apices.  Stamens  :  numerous.  Styles:  three,  long,  slender, 
separate.  Capsule:  ovoid,  three-celled,  with  many  seeds.  Z<-</rr.f ;  oj)|)ositc ; 
sessile  or  clasping,  oblong-ovate,  blunt,  at  the  apex;  entire;  thin;  smooth  ;  black 
dotted.     Stem:  one  to  three  feet  high  ;  very  leafy;  smooth. 

This  high  mountain  plant  with  its  fluffy  flowers  and  often  very  yellow 
looking   leaves   presents  us  with  one  type  of  the  great  family,  St.  John's- 


PLATE   evil  I.     FRAN  KLIN  lA.     Gordouia  Aitaumha, 
(340) 


THE  ST.  JOHN'S-WORT  KAMILV.  34, 

wort,  wherein  there  are  over  two  hundred  known  species.  It  is  rather 
a  rare  one,  keeping  mostly  to  such  mountainous  parts  of  its  range  as  the 
summits  of  Craggy  and  Roan,  where  in  the  estimation  of  ilie  country  people 
it  passes  as  a  St.  John's-wort  pure  and  simple.  It  was  Buckley  who  first 
made  its  peculiarities  known. 

H.  7naculatum,  spotted  St.  John\s-wori.  grows  well  in  the  moist  soil 
of  low  grounds  or  pine-barrens,  and  is  rather  general  from  Te.xas  to  Maine. 
It  shows  a  stiff  stem  much  branched  above,  bearing  oblong  or  ovate-lanceo- 
late clasping  leaves  which  are  quite  smooth  and  conspicuously  dotted.  The 
llowers  are  small,  but  many  of  them  are  produced  in  corymb-like  cymes 
and  their  petals  are  dotted  with  black. 

H.  pcrfordtum,  common  St.  John's-wort,  is  often  a  troublesome  weed 
with  a  stem  branching  from  the  base  and  bearing  many  small  linear- 
oblong,  sessile  leaves  mostly  blunt  at  their  apices.  Its  abundant  flowers 
produced  in  cymes  near  the  summit  are  from  one-half  to  an  inch  broad, 
vividly  yellow  and  have  their  petals  slightly  dotted  with  black.  It  is  not  a 
native  but  through  our  fields  has  become  abundantly  naturalised  and  pur- 
sues a  rather  unscrupulous  course  of  rapid  soil  exhaustion. 

It  is  perhaps  the  member  of  the  family  which  in  Europe  has  been  so  uni- 
versally credited  with  the  power  of  preserving  people  against  lightning  and 
knowing  the  intentions  and  whereabouts  of  witches.  Many  women  in 
Germany  wear  it  in  an  amulet  about  their  necks,  so  that  on  St.  John's  eve 
they  may  be  saved  from  the  spirits  then  wandering  about  with  evil  in  their 
eyes.  Both  in  England  and  Germany  it  is  hung  over  the  doors  and  windows 
on  the  same  night  that  the  devil  may  be  prevented  from  entering,  while 
many  fear  to  tread  on  it  fearing  they  should  be  surrounded  and  borne  away 
by  fairies.  It  is  also  known  as  the  wonderful  herb,  the  panacea  for  all 
wounds.  Early  it  was  called  "  balm-of-the-warrior's  wound,"  while  the  dew 
which  fell  on  it  the  eve  of  St.  John  was  believed  to  preserve  the  eyesight.  Its 
blood-like  spots  even  were  credited  with  appearing  more  plainly  on  the  leaves 
on  the  anniversary  of  the  apostle's  decapitation. 

ST.  JOHN'S-WORT.     {Plate  CIX.) 
Hypericuui  aurcu))!. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

St.Jolins-jvort.         Deep  yeilow.  Scentless.       M iddle  Ceort^ia  south-  June-A  u^ust. 

It'll  tit  a  mi  zi.Hstwa  rd. 

Flowers:  very  large;  showy;  mostly  solitary,  at  the  ends  of  the  two-edged 
branches.  Calvx  :  with  five  leaf-like  bracts.  Corolla:  with  five,  broadly  roiuuicd, 
thick  petals.  Stamens:  infiiiilc  in  numbers.  Leaves:  narrowly  oblong,  blunt  al 
the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base;  smaller  leaves  showing  in  tlicir  axils;  entire, 
or  wavy  along  the  edges;  glabrous;  pelucid  dotted  underneath  and  glaucous,  wiih 
smooth,  greyish  brown  bark  inclined  to  peel  in  shreds. 


342  THE  ST.  JOHN'S-WORT  FAMILY. 

It  was  the  younger  Bartram  who  in  Georgia  first  discovered  this  plant, 
and  in  referring  to  the  circumstances  he  thus  designates  it :  "  A  species  of 
shrub  Hypericum  of  extraordinary  show  and  beauty  ;  the  showiest  one  in 
flower  of  the  whole  genus." 

Through  the  Arnold  arboretum  it  has  been  introduced  into  cultivation 
and  has  proved  itself  of  great  value  as  an  ornamental  shrub.  Lingering 
late  in  the  autumn  its  golden  flowers  appear  like  miniature  fallen  suns. 

H.  fasciculdttim,  of  altogether  a  different  personality,  grows  in  shallow 
water  or  along  the  margins  of  pine -barren  ponds  from  Florida  to  North 
Carolina  westward  to  Texas  and  stretches  upward  sometimes  to  eight  or 
ten  feet  high,  looking  like  a  tiny  tree.  Its  flowers  are  small  and  deep  yel- 
low. The  leaves,  however,  are  even  more  attractive.  In  little  fascicles 
they  grow,  appearing  verticillate  ;  are  very  narrowly  linear,  revolute  and 
sessile.  Always  they  are  very  bright  and  in  drying  turn  to  rich  brown,  or 
burnt  orange. 

H.  proVificiim,  shrubby  St.  John's-wort,  noticeable  from  its  very  numer- 
ous protruding  stamens  which  give  to  the  deep  yellow  bloom  a  fluffy,  light 
look  and  render  it  unusually  attractive,  although  the  flowers  are  not 
produced  in  such  profusion  as  in  the  next  species.  Very  thickly  on  the 
branches  grow  the  oblong,  lanceolate  leaves. 

H.  densiflb^'iim,  dense-flowered  St.  John's-wort,  sends  forth  its  flowers  in 
great  numbers  in  both  terminal  and  lateral  cymes.  It  is  distinguishable 
from  the  shrubby  St.  John's-wort  by  its  smaller,  more  numerous  flowers, 
and  smaller  more  crowded  leaves.  In  cultivation  as  a  decorative  bushy  plant 
it  is  favourably  regarded. 

BUCKLEY'S  ST.  JOHN'S=WORT. 

Hypericum  Bucklcii. 

FAMILY  COLOUR         ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Si.Johns-ivort.        Yelloiv.      Scentless.         Georgia  and  North  Carolines,  [u)ie. 

Flowers:  terminal;  mostly  solitary.  Calyx:  with  five  greenish,  persistent 
sepals.  Corolla:  with  five  petals.  Stamens:  numerous;  exserted,  persistent  and 
drying  about  the  fruit.  Capsule:  divided  into  three  sections.  Leaves:  small; 
ovate  or  oblong,  rounded  at  the  apex;  entire;  bright-green  above,  lighter  below. 
A  small  branched  shrub.     Six  to  twelve  inches  high. 

Since  the  time  of  Buckley  this  plant  it  is  thought  has  not  been  found  in 
Alabama,  although  the  state  has  been  at  times  crossed  and  recrossed  by 
collectors  who  have  had  the  finding  of  it  among  their  desires.  On  high, 
rocky  cliffs  among  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina,  however,  it  thrives 
abundantly,  but  is  one  that  will  not  do  well  when  taken  away  and  sur- 
rounded  by   the  influences  of   cultivation.     It  was  by  Dr.  M.  A.  Curtis, an 


PLATE  CIX.     ST.  JOHN'S-WORT.     Hypericum  aurcum. 
(343) 


344  THE  ST.  JOHN'S-WORT  FAMILY. 

old-time  botanist  of  the  south  and  whose  field  was  the  low  country,  that  the 
plant  was  named.  He  undoubtedly  appreciated  Buckley's  ardour  in  plant 
finding  and  some  of  his  struggles  and  disappointments.  Since  his  death, 
however,  Professor  Sargent  is  one  who  has  tried  to  accord  to  him  his  true 
place  in  the  world  of  science. 

There  are  besides  those  of  this  large  genus  that  have  been  mentioned 
several  other  common  individuals  which  come  prominently  to^the  attention 
of  those  seeking  flowers.     Among  them  are  seen  very  often  : 

Ascyruin  hypcricoides,  the  little  plant  commonly  known  as  St.  Andrews's 
cross,  and  which  in  summer  crops  up  so  frequently  in  dry  soil  or  in  pine- 
barrens.  It  is  a  low  plant,  spreading  well  over  the  ground,  and  has  received 
its  popular  name  because  its  four  oblong  and  yellow  petals  spread  out  in 
the  shape  of  the  cross  of  Saint  Andrew.  The  sepals  are  oval,  and  as  the 
stamens,  shorter  than  the  petals.  Its  numerous  small  leaves  are  oblong,  or 
obovate,  rounded  at  the  apex  and  narrowed  at  the  base. 

A.  a)}iplexicaiile  is  much  more  pretentious  in  personality  than  the  St. 
Andrew's  cross,  it  being  a  shrub  of  from  two  to  three  feet  high  and  bearing 
flowers  quite  large  and  showy.  It  grows  erect,  the  branches  forking 
many  times  near  the  summit,  and  contrary  to  the  habit  of  the  foregoing 
species  its  leaves  are  ovate-cordate  and  clasping.  From  Florida  it  occurs 
through  Georgia  and  westward. 

Sarbthra  geiiiianoides,  pine-weed  or  orange  grass,  is  the  wiry,  grass-like 
looking  Httle  plant  with  minute  leaves  which  occurs  in  sandy  fields  over  a 
very  extended  range.  In  a  scattered  way  its  tiny  deep  orange  flowers  grow 
along  the  filiform,  erect  branches, 

Triadbium  Virgiiiictun,  marsh  St.  John's-wort,  occurs  mostly  in  bogs 
and  swampy  places.  It  bears  pale,  pinkish  flowers  on  short,  bracted  pe- 
duncles and  has  ovate  or  oblong  leaves,  cordate  and  clasping  at  their  bases 
and  obtuse  at  the  apices.     On  their  lower  surfaces  they  are  much  dotted. 

T.  petiolatum,  larger  marsh  St.  John's-wort,  bears  its  rose-coloured 
flowers  in  nearly  sessile  clusters,  while  its  oblong  leaves  narrow  into  very 
short  petioles  at  their  bases.  Through  the  low  country  it  is  an  inhabitant  of 
swamps. 


I 
I 


THE  ROCK-ROSE  FAMILY.  345 

THE  ROCK=ROSE  FAMILY. 

Lo7U  shrubs  or  woody  herbs  ivith  siniph.,  allt rnati\  or  opposite  lea'i'cs 
and  regular  Jiowers  icdiieh  grow  solitary^  or  are  produced  in  racemose^ 
clustered,  or  paniculate  inflorescences. 

ROCK=ROSE.     SUN  ROSE. 

Jle/idntheniinn  Caro/in/anutn. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Rock-rose.  i'fllow.  Scentless.  North  Carolina  to  Florida  Mar<Jt,  .■i/>rtl. 

and  Texas. 

Flowers:  quite  large,  one  inch  across;  showy;  perfect  :  mostly  solitary  and 
terminal.  Calyx:  with  five  sepals  of  whicli  the  two  outer  ones  are  smaller  than 
the  three  inner  ones.  Petals  :  five,  spreading.  Stamens  :  very  numerous,  willi 
short  filaments.  Stigtna  :  capitate,  three-U)bed.  Leai'es  :  alternate  ;  obovate  to 
lanceolate  or  oblong,  pointed  or  rounded  at  the  ape.x  and  nearly  sessile  or  taper- 
ing into  very  short  petioles  at  the  base  ;  entire  or  denticulate  pubescent  on  both 
surfaces.     Slem  :   four  to  twelve  inches  high  ;  ascending,  villous,  pube^ccnt. 

Differing  from  some  others  of  its  genus  tliis  pretty  little  plant  bears 
bright,  gay  flowers  which  are  all  alike.  They  blow  out  early  in  the  season 
and  soon  quite  in  the  orthodo.x  way  set  about  the  forming  and  maturing  of 
their  seeds.  The  leaves  before  they  perish  in  the  autumn  turn  to  a  charm- 
ing bright  red. 

H.  corynibbsuvt,  pine-barren  frost  weed,  grows  also  in  sandy  barrens  and 
in  places  along  the  coast  from  Louisiana  and  Florida  to  North  Carolina. 
It  is  one  which  bears  two  kinds  of  flowers.  Early  in  April  those  with 
petals  and  very  pretty  unfold  in  cymes.  Then  later  in  the  season  the 
plant  blooms  again,  producing  this  time  small,  inconspicuous  flowers  in 
almost  sessile,  cymose  clusters.  They  have  no  petals,  and  while  they 
mature  seeds  as  do  the  larger  flowers,  they  are  not  more  fertile,  for  their 
capsules  are  neither  so  large  nor  so  well  filled.  Their  calyxes,  the  leaves, 
and  the  plant's  shrubby  stems  are  all  covered  with  a  hoary  pubescence. 

HUDSONIA. 

Iludsbnia  niontana. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Rock-rose.  Burnt  orange.  Scentless.         A'ort/i  Carolina.  May^Jmnr. 

Flcnvers  :  relatively  large,  growing  on  slender  minutely  pubescent  peduncles  at 
the  ends  of  the  branches.  Calyx:  campanulate  with  five  ovati.-obI»mp,  |)<>intrd, 
hairy  sepals.     /VA//j- ;  five,  obovate-oblong.     Stamens:  numtrous.    .SVtvV/ ;  thread. 


346 


THE  ROCK-ROSE  FAMILY. 


like.  Leaves:  loosely  imbricated,  scattered  along  the  branches ;  needle  shaped; 
sharply  pointed;  minutely  pubescent.  Alow,  tufted  shrub  two  to  four  inches 
high,  branching  from  the  base. 

On  one  or  two  mountain   tops  in  North   Carolina  this  quaint  little  plant 
blooms  freely.     Of  the  three  species  which  are  natives  of  North  America  it 


is  the  most  rare  and  its  habitat  the  most  restricted.  On  Hawk's  Bill  and 
Table  Rock,  that  quaint,  flat  peak,  of  aspect  so  different  when  seen  from 
various  neighbouring  high  points,  it  forms  in  its  heather-like  way  a  close, 
often  interwoven  growth,  turning  thus  to  a  carpet  of  green,  rocky,  jagged 
places,- and  retaining  its  freshness  until  late  in  the  season,  when  gaunt  pines 
are  perhaps  all  that  have  not  shed  their  leaves. 

H.  ericoides,  a  more  northern  species,  although  extending  to  Virginia,  is 
sometimes  seen  in  cultivation  as  a  rock  garden  plant. 


THE  VIOLET  FAMILYe 

ViolacecB. 

Chiefly  herbs  with  simple^  alternate^  stipulate^  or  basal  leaves  with 
7?iargi?is  entire,  or  variously  cut  or  Jobed ;  and  which  bear  irregular^ 
nodding floivers  growing  on  bracted peduncles. 


THE  VIOLET  lAMlLV.  ,^, 

347 

ARROW=LEAVED  VIOLET.     (/'/,;/,  CA) 

V\ola  sai^iltata. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  ximc  ^c  =. 

y.oUt.         D..J>.lue.  Faintly  jr.,rani.  7-...sT,U,ror,i.  ^'^-L^^  '.^.?°^ 

nort/iwarii.  '         ^' 

Acanlesccnt  flowers:  nodding  at  the  ends  of  long  scapes.  G/A-x  •  with  five 
hnear  lanceolate  sepals  projected  as  ears  at  the  base.  Corolla  :\\,\,  five  un 
equally  shaped  petals,  all  bearded  with  the  exception  of  the  lower  one  which  at  the 
base  IS  spurred.  Stamens  :  five,  short,  connivent  about  the  pistil.  /.,„7rs-  from 
the  base  with  long,  shghlly  pubescent  or  glabrous  petioles,  lanceolate-sagittate 
pointed  at  the  apex,  entire,  or  crenate-dcntate  and  having  the  spreading^  basal' 
lobes  toothed  or  incised;  glabrous;  thin.  ** 

The  violets  are  very  temperate.  They  like  neither  nuieh  heat  nor  ijreat 
cold  btit  seek  to  grow  usually  in  retired  places,  well  shaded  and  moist. 
About  them  there  is  a  look  that  makes  a  violet  always  a  violet.  There  are. 
however,  many  species  among  them,  and  almost  every  year  greater  stress  is 
being  laid  on  their  dissimilarities.  A  primary  point  to  notice  always  is 
whether  they  have  the  so-called  leafy  stems,  or  whether  they  belong  to  the 
stemiessgroup,— that  is  whether  the  scapes  and  leaves  all  shoot  up  from  the 
base.  The  leaves  of  this  species,  so  different  from  those  of  the  common 
violet,  make  it  at  once  distinctive  and  interesting.  It  bears,  moreover,  and 
very  abundantly,  cleistogamous  flowers  which  arise  on  erect  peduncles. 
These  apetalous  little  blossoms  are  most  interesting  to  watch  during  a 
season.  They  seem  mostly  to  be  produced  when  the  days  become  too 
warm  for  the  showy  flowers  to  bloom,  and  occasionally  late  in  the  autumn 
we  can  see  them  by  close  watching  transformed  into  the  regular  flowers 
which  we  then  regard  as  a  second  crop. 

V.  palmata,  early  blue  violet,  commonly  occurs  through  rich  woodlands. 
Its  dark  purple  flowers  are  associated  with  large  variously  lobed.  lanceolate, 
ovate  or  oblong  leaves,  mostly  crenate-dentate,  or,  when  young,  sometimes 
entire.  The  plant  is  pubescent  and  belongs  to  the  group  of  stemless  vio- 
lets. Its  lateral  petals  are  bearded.  It  is  perhaps  the  one  more  jgenerally 
known  than  any  other  as  an  inhabitant  of  upland  woods.  In  the  autumn 
sometimes  as  late  as  November  a  second  crop  come  forth,  stretching  thus 
the  sense  of  spring  into  the  very  palm  of  winter.  These  are  the  violets  which 
generally  in  parts  of  the  south  are  called  "  little  roosters,"  while  the  blossoms 
of  the  bird's-foot  violet  are  designated  as  "  big  roosters."  Often  the  young 
people  take  them  as  opponents  and  fight  them  in  the  way  of  game  cocks 
until  one  or  the  other  has  lost  its  head. 

V.  ovdta.  ovate-leaved  violet,  a  rather  low,  hairy  plant,  is  further  charac- 


PLATE  ex.     ARROW-LEAVED  VIOLET.     Fiola  sagittata, 
(348) 


THE  VIOLET  FAMILY.  349 

terised  by  its  ovate,  or  ovate-lanceolate  crenate  leaves,  deeply  cordate  at  the 
base, where  also  they  are  often  coarsely  toothed.  Its  flowers  growing^  on 
scapes  arise  usually  higher  than  the  leaves,  are  rather  small  and  bloom 
early  in  April. 

V.  vicindlis,  a  showy  member  of  the  genus  and  found  in  the  pine. barrens 
of  northern  Florida  and  southern  Alabama,  also  belongs  to  the  group  of  stem- 
less  violets.  In  early  youth  its  flowers  are  raised  to  a  considerable  height 
above  the  leaves,  but  later  in  the  season  these  latter  attain  to  larger  si/e  and 
are  not  exceeded  by  the  peduncles.  The  blades  in  outline  are  very  distinc- 
tive, being  deeply  and  irregularly  divided  into  from  three  to  five  lobes  of 
which  the  central  one  is  the  largest.  The  deep  purple  and  large  blossoms 
have  their  lateral  petals  bearded  with  white  and  lustrous  hairs.  This  dis- 
tinct violet  supplants  V.  palmata  in  Florida,  and  slightly  resembles  that 
species. 

l/C^^  BIRD'S=FOOT  VIOLET. 

■^  Viola  pedata. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Violet,         Deep  purple.  Fahitly  fragrant.         Florida  to  Xortk  Car-  Mity. 

olina  northward. 

Acatilescent  flcnvers  :  large  ;  nodding  at  the  end  of  bracted  scapes.  Cilyx: 
with  five  poiiited  sepals  eared  at  their  bases.  Corolla  :  of  five  unequal  petals, 
being  beardless  and  one  extending  into  a  spur.  Stafncns  :  connivent  about  the 
style.  Pistil:  one;  style,  club-shaped.  Z<'(?7rj- :  from  the  base  witlilong  petioles; 
pedately  divided  into  five  to  nine  linear-lanceolate  or  spatulate  lobes,  entire  or 
toothed. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  violet  which  presents  more  varieties  of  form  than  this 
one  known  as  the  bird's-foot  from  the  outline  of  its  leaves.  Sometimes  its 
petals  are  all  one  colour,  pale  blue,  or  blue  tinted  with  pink, and  again  the 
two  uppermost  ones  are  a  rich  and  velvety  purple.  In  this  latter  event  the 
plant  is  usually  known  as  the  variety /5/<:i?^r, although  Dr.  Britton  considers 
this  form  the  type  of  the  species.  At  Highlands.  North  Carolina.  I  saw  a 
large  patch  of  this  species  of  violet  wherein  so  many  unusual  forms  were 
gathered  that  they  fairly  upset  all  preconceived  notions  concerning  them  and 
made  one  long  to  be  a  violet  specialist. 

On  Satula  Mountain  also  as  late  as  the  first  week  in  September  I  gathered 
several  of  these  blossoms,  as  large  and  fresh  as  they  could  ever  have 
been  in  the  early  season.  In  Japan  they  would  no  doubt  have  been  called 
"  returning  flowers  "  and  given  to  those  starting  on  a  journey  to  typify  a 
safe  return.  It  is  not  the  custom  of  this  species  to  bear  cleistogamous 
flowers,  nor  is  it  stoloniferous. 

V,  rotwidifolia,  round-leaved  violet,  sometimes  begins  to  bloom  as  early 


350 


THE  VIOLET  FAMILY. 


as  March  in  North  Carolina,  and  from  there  its  range  extends  to  the  far 
north.  It  is  a  rounded-leaved  species,  the  leaves  often  three  inches  in  diam- 
eter, with  crenate  edges,  and  growing  in  mid-summer  to  their  utmost  size 
as  they  lie  flat  on  the  ground.  They  are  then  very  lustrous.  The  pale 
yellow  flowers  which  appear  when  the  leaves  are  relatively  small  have 
noticeably  short  spurs,  and  the  lateral  petals  are  bearded  and  veined  with 
brown. 

It  is  now  conceded  that  it  was  this  plant  which  inspired  the  poet  Bryant 
to  write,  "  The  Yellow  Violet." 

V.  blmida,  sweet  white  violet,  is  very  small,  the  whole  plant  being  when 
found  on  such  high  mountains  slopes  as  Pisgah  in  North  Carolina  not  over 
two  inches  high  and  seldom  under  the  most  favourable  circumstances,  in 
moist  meadows  or  near  swamps,  raising  itself  higher  than  six  inches.  Its 
white  baby  face  with  delicate  veinings  of  purple  is  well  known,  as  is  also  its 
subtle  fragrance.  Quite  of  the  conventional  type  are  its  leaves,  orbicular 
or  reniform  and  deeply  cordate  at  the  bases. 

V.  lanceoldta,  lance-leaved  violet,  is  one  of  the  dainty  little  white  violets 
which  we  find  among  the  grass  of  moist  soil  very  early  in  the  spring.  Its 
slender  lanceolate  leaves,  tapering  as  they  do  into  long  petioles,  serve 
always  as  a  mark  for  its  identification,  and  the  small  white  corolla  delicately 
lined  with  brown  exhales  a  faint  fragrance  often  not  noticed  in  other 
species. 

HALBERD=LEAVED  YELLOW   VIOLET.     {Plate  CXi:) 

Viola  hast  at  a. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Violet.         Bright  yellow.         Scentless.         Alabama  and  North  Carolina  A/>ril^  May. 

to  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio. 

Flowers:  small,  nodding  from  peduncles  which  grow  from  the  upper  axils  of  the 
leaves.  Lateral  petals  slightly  bearded,  the  lowest  one  veined  with  purple. 
Spur :  short.  Leaves  :  growing  on  the  stem  mostly  near  the  summit  and  having 
entire  or  sparingly  toothed  stipules ;  halberd-shaped  or  hastate-ovate,  acute;  ir- 
regularly dentate  or  repand.     Slefu  :  six  to  twelve  inches  high. 

As  can  readily  be  seen  from  the  illustration  this  violet  is  of  the  leafy- 
stemmed  type,  and  those  that  follow  will  also  be  of  the  same  class.  It  is 
found  in  woods  or  by  the  cool  borders  of  streams  in  upland  country,  and 
has  lustrous,  thin  foliage  veined  with  bronze.  Often  also  the  undersides  of 
its  leaves  are  conspicuously  of  this  colour.  Botanically  it  is  closely  related 
to  Viola  pubescens,  the  hairy  yellow  violet. 

V.  Canadensis,  Canada  violet,  one  of  the  most  notable  of  all  the  leafy- 
stemmed  violets,  grows  over  an  extended  range  and  occurs  frequently  as  tall 
as  fifteen  inches.  Its  stem  upholds  broadly  ovate  leaves  which  taper  at  the 
^pex,  are  deeply  cordate  at  the  base  and  have  moreover  lanceolate  stipules. 


.-Q  .iS 


PLATE   CXI.     HALBERD-LEAVED  YELLOW  VIOLET.      / '/W.;  lusljtj. 

U50 


352  THE  VIOLET  FAMILY. 

From  the  axils  the  fragrant  flowers  grow  on  bracted  peduncles  and  are 
generally  spoken  of  as  white  violets.  Many  of  them,  it  is  true,  are  spotlessly 
white,  being  marked  only  with  deep  purple  veinings,  while  again  on  the  same 
plant  are  sometimes  others  of  pinkish  lavender  lined  with  white.  It  favours 
always  cool  situations  and  produces  only  these  large,  showy  flowers,  never 
those  that  are  cleistogamous. 

V.jiostrata,  long-spurred  violet,  grows  up  from  a  fibrous  root  and  bears 
both  basal  and  stem  leaves.  It  is  considerably  branched,  and  usually  the 
graceful  foliage  is  cordate  in  outline,  or  the  lower  leaves,  reniform.  Their 
stipules  are  noticeable,  being  lanceolate  and  having  fine  teeth  towards  their 
bases.  Either  pale  violet,  or  white  veined  with  deep  blue  are  the  flowers. 
They  are  moreover  beardless,  and  the  lower  petal  projects  a  spur  equal  to 
its  own  length. 

V.  tripartita,  a  yellow  bloomer  among  the  leafy-stemmed  violets  and 
one  of  full,  luxurious  growth,  bears  in  its  typical  form  large  and  thrice- 
divided  leaves  which  are  sparingly  pubescent  underneath.  It  is  occasionally 
found,  however,  with  simple  leaves.  When  this  latter  is  the  case  it  is  not  an 
easy  matter  for  the  amateur  to  distinguish  such  specimens  from  other 
closely  related  species. 

V.  scabriuscida,  downy  yellow  violet,  occurs  as  a  sparingly  pubescent 
plant  with  broadly  cordate  leaves  serrate  about  their  margins,  and  which 
have  stipules  large  and  mostly  entire.  Its  dainty  yellow  flowers  are  faintly 
fragrant,  and  are  produced  soon  after  the  basal  and  stem  leaves  have  de- 
veloped. 


Jt^^  THEPASSION=FLOWER  FAMILY. 

Passiflorcaece. 

Ill  our  species  vines  climbing  by  means  of  tendrils  and  with  alternate^ 
usually  palffiately-lobed  leaves;  and  which  bear  regular,  perfect  flowers 
itt  solitary  or  clustered  axillary  inflorescences. 

PASSION-FLOWER.     MAY=POP.     {Plate  CXII) 
Passiflbra  incar?idta. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Passion-Jloiver.         Purple  and  Faintly  Florida  to  Virginia  June-September, 

white.  fragrant.  and  westivard. 

Flowers:  large;  and  subtended  usually  by  three  small  bracts.  Calyx:  cam- 
panulate,   the   divisions   consisting  of  five  long  sepals,  somewhat  united  and  col- 


PLATE   CXI  I.     PASSION    FLOWER.     Pjssijlora  incanutj. 
(353) 


354  '^HE  PASSION-FLOWER  FAMILY. 

oured  inside.  Corolla  :  with  five  slender  petals  borne  on  the  throat  of  the  calyx; 
also  on  the  calyx-throat,  a  full  thread-like  fringe  called  the  corona.  Filaments: 
monodelphous  below.  Anthers  :  five,  attached  near  the  middle.  Stjyles  :  three  to 
four,  club-shaped,  spreading.  Leaves:  alternate;  with  long,  pubescent  petioles; 
almost  orbicular  and  thrice  deeply  lobed;  somewhat  cordate  at  their  bases;  finely 
serrate  ;  thin;  smooth  or  slightly  pubescent.  Stem  :  climbing  by  means  of  lateral 
tendrils ;  smooth. 

So  unlike  the  majority  of  wild  flowers  is  this  one  that  it  seems  strange 
through  the  south  to  see  it  climbing  up  and  down  the  rail  fences  bordering 
fields  of  corn  or  those  of  sorghum,  or  again  embellishing  railway  embank- 
ments and  winding  in  and  out  its  fantastic  blossoms,  long  thought  to  be 
emblematic  of  the  passion  of  our  Lord.  Despite  its  gorgeous  bloom,  how- 
ever, the  people  in  many  places  regard  mostly  its  leaves  and  call  it  "  ground 
ivy,"  thinking  them  to  resemble  those  of  that  vine.  They  pick  them  also 
for  the  purpose  of  brewing  as  tea,  and  children  frequently  gather  and  eat 
the  large  fruits  which  are  known  as  May-pops. 

P.  liitea,  yellow  passion  flower,  is  distinguished  by  its  very  small  greenish 
yellow  flowers  and  its  obtusely  thrice  and  spreading  lobed  leaves. 


THE  LOOSESTRIFE  FAMILY. 

LytJu'cicece. 

Trees,  or  shrubs,  but  usually  herbs,  mostly  with  opposite  leaves  and 
perfect  flowers  which  are  solitary   or  grow  i?i  axillary  clusters. 

SWAflP  LOOSESTRIFE.     SWAMP  WlLLOW=HERB. 

{Plate  CXPPP.) 
Dccodoii  verticillatus. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Loosestrife,         Pinkish  purple.  Scentless.  Florida  northward  July-September. 

and  westward. 

Flo^vers  :  growing  in  cymes  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves.  Calyx:  campanulate, 
five  to  seven-toothed.  Corolla  :  with  slender  petals  wedge-shaped  at  the  base. 
Stamens :  of  different  lengths,  slender,  exserted.  Leaves :  mostly  whorled  in 
threes  about  the  stem  ;  lanceolate,  tapering  at  the  apex  and  into  short  petioles  at 
the  base;  entire,  rather  thin;  paler  below  than  on  the  upper  surface  and  slightly 
pubescent.     Stem  :  somewhat  woody;  angular. 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  of  the  loosestrife  family  is  this  herbaceous 
or  shrub-like  plant  which  seeks  its  home  in  water  or  very  wet,  muddy 
places,  and  where  its  stems  reroot  themselves  from  their  tips  whenever  they 


PLATE  CXIil.     SWAMP  LOOSESTRIFE.     DiXaion  vcrtuilhitus. 
(355) 


356  THE  LOOSESTRIFE  FAMILY. 

grow  long  enough  to  touch  the  water.  They  further  show  at  their  bases 
the  pecuHarity  of  being  clothed  with  a  soft  pinkish  covering,  which  when 
pulled  peels  in  layers  as  would  limp  paper.  As  those  of  its  European  rela- 
tive, the  purple  spiked  loosestrife,  the  flowers  are  trimorphous, — occurring 
under  three  forms — that  is  the  filaments  and  styles  on  different  flowers  are 
reciprocally  shorter  and  longer,  and  in  order  that  fertilization  may  be  ac- 
complished the  stigma  must  only  be  touched  with  pollen  from  a  stamen  of 
equal  length  with  itself  and  produced  in  another  flower.  This  device  is 
simply  one  of  various  plants  used  to  guard  against  self-fertilization.  The 
genus  of  the  swamp  loosestrife  is  monotypic. 

Besides  other  common  representatives  of  this  family  which  lack  of  space 
forbids  entering  in  these  pages,  there  is  seen  through  the  southern  cities 
the  crepe  myrtle  tree,  Lagerstroemia  indica.  Originally  it  has  been  imported 
from  eastern  Asia.  When  well  grown  and  hung  with  its  deep  pink,  crinkly 
bloom  it  is  very  beautiful. 


THE  MEADOW=BEAUTY  FAMILY. 

MelastomacecE. 

In  our  species  hej'hs  with  opposite^  si7nple  leaves  ;  and  which  bear  per- 
fect^ regular  flowers,  often  shotvy  ajul  generally  growing  in  clusters. 

MARYLAND  nEADOW=BEAUTY.     {Plate  CXIV.) 
R he. via  Mariana. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Meadoiv-hemity.      Magerita-piuk.        Scentless.  Texas  and  northivard.        June-September. 

Flowers:  showy;  growing  in  loose,  terminal  cymose  clusters.  Calyx:  long; 
urn-shaped ;  pubescent ;  with  four  short,  pointed  lobes.  Corolla  :  with  four, 
rounded  petals,  occasionally  projecting  a  minute  point  or  bristle.  Stamens:  eight, 
with  linear,  incurved  anthers.  Leaves:  oblong,  or  linear-lanceolate,  bluntly 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  short,  hairy  petioles;  serrate; 
ciliate;  three-nerved;  bright  green  and  showing  on  both  sides  a  number  of  scat- 
tered hairs.     Stem:    ten  inches  to   two  feet  high,  mostly  branched;    erect;    hairy. 

Among  the  wild  flowers  this  genus  holds  many  beauties  of  the  meadow  ; 
beauties  of  a  delicate,  quaint  type,  not  at  all  disposed  to  vie  with  lordly 
lilies   or   magnificent   mints.     A  number  of  them   have  more  the   look  of 


PLATE  CXIV.     MARYLAND  MEADOW-BEAUTY.     Rluxij  Marijuj. 

(357) 


358  THE  MEADOW-BEAUTY  FAMlLV. 

small  evening  primroses,  and  possess  a  characteristic  trait  in  the  curving  of 
their  unusually  long  anthers.  There  is  an  upward  toss  to  their  heads  as 
though  they  had  an  aversion  to  drooping,  and  while  some  of  them  have  to 
be  sought  amid  the  grass  of  moist  meadows,  others  occur  along  the  road- 
sides, seeming  to  follow  one  all  the  way.  The  Maryland  meadow-beauty 
grows  through  the  swamps  of  pine-barrens  and  in  the  autumn  becomes 
most  noticeable  w^hen  its  calyx  has  turned  to  deep  red. 

R.  cilibsa,  ciliate  meadows-beauty,  another  sw^amp  species  which  occurs 
from  Florida  and  Louisiana  to  Maryland  and  westward,  is  tall,  abundantly 
feafy  and  rather  coarse  looking  with  the  exception  of  its  delicate  deep  ma- 
genta bloom,  the  pedicels  of  which  are  very  short.  Its  ovate  leaves  have 
bristly  ciliate  margins,  while  the  calyx  is  glabrous, having  only  a  few  bristly 
hairs  on  its  lobes. 

R.  glabella^  a  most  beautiful  individual  v^ith  large,  deep  magenta  and 
very  showy  flowers,  may  be  found  in  the  low  pine-barrens  of  Florida,  or  as 
far  northward  as  North  Carolina.  It  grows  quite  high,  at  most  about  three 
feet  and  is  throughout  very  smooth.  Its  lanceolate,  sessile  leaves  point 
upward  and  have  about  them  quite  a  sweet  odour. 

R.  liitea  flaunts  a  corolla  so  brilliantly  yellow  or  orange  that  one  forgets 
to  look  at  its  anthers,  usually  so  conspicuous  a  feature  of  the  meadow- 
beauties.  They  are,  however,  short  and  in  any  case  would  not  be  very 
noticeable.  Usually  the  gay  petals  are  persistent,  longer  than  those  of 
other  species,  and  the  foliage,  lanceolate  or  obovate  in  outline,  is  more 
bronze  and  golden  than  it  is  green.  From  the  base  the  plant  branches, 
sending  up  four-angled  hairy  stems  which  become  often  a  foot  high.  Its 
range  is  from  Florida  to  North  Carolina  and  westward. 

R.  fiUfbrmis,  in  Florida  and  Georgia,  opens  in  August  its  dainty  pale 
purple  or  white  flowers,  and  deeply  tinted  are  the  anthers  which  curve  as 
gracefully  as  crescents.  The  foliage  is  abundant ;  the  little  leaves  being 
narrowly  linear,  or  threadlike  and  only  on  the  stems  are  to  be  seen  fine, 
bristle-like  hairs. 

Among  the  meadow-beauties  it  is  a  new  species  of  Dr.  Small,  who  about 
it  has  written  :  "  While  collecting  along  the  southern  border  of  Georgia,  I 
met  this  delicate  little  species  of  Rhexia  at  various  places." 

The  truly  common  species,  distributed  well  over  the  country,  is  Rhexia 
Virginiana,  meadow-beauty,  or  quite  as  frequently  called,  deer  grass. 


THE  EVENING-PRIMROSK  FAMILY.  359 


THE  EVENINQ=PRIMROSE  FAHILY. 

Ojiaordcac. 

Mostly  herbs  with  simple,  alternate  or  opposite  leaves,  a  nil  icliieh  bear 
perfect  7'egular  flowers,  solitary  or  in  various  inflorescences^  their  calyxes 
being  adnate  to  the  ova/y,  or  often  extending  beyond  it  into  a  tidw. 

FLOATING  JU5SI/EA.     PRIMROSE  WILLOW.  {J^late  CXV.) 
fussiiha  re  pens  grandiflora. 

FAMILY  COLOUR         ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Evening-primrose.      YclliKi.<.       Fragrant.     South  Carolina  and  west'^vard.         May,  June. 

Flcnvers  :  large;  nearly  two  inches  broad;  solitary  at  the  ends  of  long  axillary 
and  pul)escent  ])eduncles.  Calyx-tube  :  elongated, 'with  five  long  lanceolate  and 
jjointed  lobes  pubescent  on  the  outside.  Corolla  :  with  five-rounded  and  delicately 
nerved  petals.  Stavicns  :  eight,  short,  on  the  tube.  Stvli':  thick.  Leave s :  alter- 
nate; linear-oblong,  or  lanceolate,  pointed  or  blunt  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at 
the  base  into  short  margined  petioles;  entire;  feather-veined  and  covered  along 
the  midrib,  both  al)ove  and  below,  with  fine  hairs.  Stem:  creeping  at  the  base 
and  rooting  extensively  from  the  nodes. 

Lifting  their  heads  above  shallow  water  these  flowers  look  like  exquisite 
pale  yellow  cups,  or  even  poppies  that  have  lost  their  way.  Often  their 
stems  are  marked  with  bright  red  and  as  they  creep  along  root  freely  from 
the  nodes.  Mingled  with  water  lilies  or  the  great  lotuses,  they  are  now  be- 
ginning to  be  much  seen  in  cultivation. 

COMMON  EVENING=PRIMROSE. 

Onoi^ra    biennis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Evening-privirose.  Yellow.  Fragrant.  General.  J  une-Septeniler. 

Floiuers :  often  two  inches  broad;  growing  in  leafy  spikes, which  in  fruit  become 
elongated.  Calyx:  with  elongated  tube  and  four  hairy,  reflexed  lobes.  Corolla: 
with  four  obcordate  petals,  veined  with  green.  Stamens:  eight.  Pistil: 
one;  stigma,  four-branched.  Capsule:  cylindrical;  sessile;  four-valved,  hairy. 
Leaves:  alternate  ;  lanceolate  ;  tapering  at  the  base  and  sessile  ;  or  the  lowest  pcti- 
oled;  entire,  remotely  serrate  or  toothed;  thick  and  covered  with  a  whitish  pubes- 
cence.    Stems  :  erect;  two  to  nine  feet  high;  mostly  simple;  pubescent. 

Everywhere  through  fields  and  in  waste  places  we  find  the  common  prim- 
rose looking  often  dilapidated  enough  with  its  delicate  petals  hanging  limp 
and  worn.  As  we  know,  however,  it  is  of  nocturnal  habit  and  reserves  its 
beauty  for  the  time  when  the  twilight  is  dimming  other  things.  Then 
slowly  a  slit  or  opening  first    parts  the  calyx,  and   very  gradually  the  sepals 


IP    f'w% 


PLATE  CXV.     FLOATING  JU3SI/£A.    JussLva  repciis  gmndiJJora. 

(360) 


THE  EVENING-PRIMROSK  FAMILY.  ->r,i 

bend  downward  to  iheir  reflexed  position.  Later  the  petals  unfold  and 
emit  a  fragrance  subtle  yet  far  reaching  enough  to  catch  the  sense  of  night 
moths  roaming  about,  even  although  they  have  not  seen  its  shimmering 
light,  At  the  base  of  the  primrose's  stalk  it  is  interesting  to  sec  how  sym- 
metrical IS  the  rosette  arrangement  of  its  leaves.  One  year  the  plant  takes 
to  make  this  rosette  ;  in  the  second  year  it  sends  up  its  stalk  of  bloom  and 
later  having  accomplished  its  work,  perishes.  This  is  the  way  of  biennials. 
Once  I  saw  a  little  plant  that  appeared  to  be  a  primrose.  It  had  sent  out 
several  side  shoots  with  puny  flowers  and  had  altogether  so  (jucer  a  lo<jk 
that  I  questioned  a  scientist  in  the  neighbourhood  concerning  it.  He  pon- 
dered, then  said,  "In  youth  its  top  had  probably  been  eaten  by  a  cow." 

Hariniannia  spccibsa  may  be  mentioned  as  a  most  beautiful  primrose  of 
the  western  prairies  and  has  now  become  abundantly  naturalised  in 
Florida,  Georgia  and  South  Carolina.  Its  flower,  often  over  three  inches  in 
diameter,  is  white  and  richly  tinted  with  rose-pink. 

LONG-STEMMED   SUNDROPS. 

Knnffia   longipediccllaia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Evening-/>rhiirose.  Yelloiv.         Sec )it less.         Florida  to  2<cil>  York.  May-July. 

Flowers  :  large,  showy;  axillary  and  solitary  or  in  a  terminal  raceme,  their  pedi- 
cels long  and  pubescent.  Calyx  :  with  slender  tube  dilated  at  the  throat  and 
linear,  long  segments.  Corolla:  with  four  thin,  obovate  petals.  Stamens:  eight. 
with  linear  anthers.  Stigma:  four-lobed.  Slc?n-lt'aves  :  alternate,  linear-lanceo- 
late, narrowed  at  the  base,  entire,  pubescent;  basal  ones  obovate-spatulate  and 
tufted.  Stc'ms :  ascending,  or  erect,  simple,  or  branched  above,  reddish  and  pu- 
bescent. 

Very  often  the  sundrops  are  mistaken  for  evening-primroses,  but  were 
they  the  same  they  would  never  be  opening  their  petals  in  full  daylight  and 
boldly  facing  the  sun.  As  the  genus  occurs  usually  through  dry  or  sandy 
soil,  its  flowers  make  many  bright  yellow  spots  among  gerardias,  goat's-rue 
and  other  pea-like  plants  which  overrun  the  ground.  This  particular  species 
bears  its  common  specific  name  in  reference  to  the  long  pedicels  which 
hold  the  flowers  and  afterwards  outmeasure  in  length  the  capsule. 

K.  fnilicbsa,  common  sundrops,  begins  to  bloom  through  the  fields  early 
in  June.  Its  flowers,  often  two  inches  broad,  grow  in  lateral  and  terminal, 
leafy  spikes  which  as  long  as  they  last  are  quite  close.  While  pubescent 
the  plant  is  not  covered  with  a  bloom,  and  its  small  capsules  are  distinc- 
tively four-winged. 

K.  glahca,  glaucous  sundrops,  only  expands  its  delicate  pale  yellow 
flowers  in  the  sunshine.  They  then  are  extremely  showy  and  grow  in  short, 
leafy  racemes.     The  plant  is  a  smooth  slightly  glaucous  one,  with  simple  or 


362  THE  EVENING-PRIMROSE  FAMILY. 

branching  stems  and  lanceolate  leaves  contracted  to  a  nearly  sessile  base. 
It  is  mostly  through  the  mountainous  parts  of  Georgia,  Tennessee  and 
North  Carolina  that  it  is  found. 


THE  GINSENG  FAMILY. 

AraliacecE. 

Trees,  shrubs  or  herbs  bearing  their  perfect  or  imperfect  floivers  in 
umbels,  racemes  or  panicles,  and  with  mostly  alterfiate,  or  whorlcd,  com- 
pound or  decompound  leaves. 

HERCULES  CLUB.  ANGELICA  TREE.  SPIKENARD  TREE. 

Ardlia  spinbsa. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Ginseng. 

White. 

Sceiitless. 

Florida  to  Mississippi 
and  northward. 

June- August. 

Flowers:  very  small,  growing  in  umbels  which  form  large  compound  panicles. 
Calyx:  with  five  minute  teeth.  Corolla:  with  five  rounded  spreading  petals. 
Stametts :  five.  Styles:  five,  spreading.  Berries:  ovoid,  black.  Leaves:  very 
large  with  long  petioles;  bipinnately  compound;  the  leaflets  numerous;  ovate, 
pointed  at  the  apex,  rounded  and  sessile  or  short  stalked  at  the  base;  serrate; 
dark  green  above,  paler,  glaucous  and  pubescent  underneath.  A  shrub  or  tree 
with  very  stout  prickly  stems  or  branches. 

Along  the  foot-hills  of  the  Big  Smokies  in  Tennessee  and  on  the  western 
slopes  of  the  Alleghanies  the  Hercules  club  is  seen  at  its  best.  In  this 
latter  region,  in  a  gorge  noted  for  its  beauty,  and  leaning  against  a  bank 
clad  with  abundant  verdure  we  first  saw  its  great  stems  and  enormous 
panicles  of  black,  juicy  and  shining  fruit.  For  as  well  as  being  a  shrub  it 
grows  as  a  tree,  thirty  and  thirty-live  feet  high,  producing  leaves  fairly  three 
and  four  feet  long  which  late  in  the  autumn  turn  to  tints  of  purple  or  light 
yellow.  So  wonderfully  beautiful  did  a  spray  of  these  leaves  and  berries 
appear  that  Mrs.  Rowan  determined  to  carry  a  branch  away  for  dec- 
orative purposes.  After  a  steep  climb  she  secured  it,  just  as  the  train  which 
\v^s  to  take  us  on  to  Roan  Mountain  Station  turned  a  curve  in  the  gorge. 


THE  GINSENG  FAMILY. 


■fii 


L? 


-^U^^" 


While  I  waved  my  umbrella,  she  waved  the  Aralia  i)ran(h,and  so  the  engine 
was  signalled.  By  a  strange  individual  on  the  train  who  professed  to  be  a 
"sympathetic,  hypnotic,  magnetic  healer,"  we  were  liit-n  told  that  the  ber- 
ries as  well  as  the  plant's  roots 
were  made  into  a  stimulant  to 
cure  rheumatism. 

A.racenidsa,  iVmerican  spike- 
nard, bears  also  its  numerous 
umbels  of  small  greenish  white 
flowers  in  a  dense,  hairy  panicle 
and  appears  a  splendid  plant, 
especially  as  its  masses  of  berry- 
like fruit  are  beginning  to  ripen. 
Its  large  leaves  are  ternately 
compound  ;  the  cordate  leaflets 
being  irregularly  serrate,  thin 
and  rather  rough  on  both  sides. 
Its  herbaceous  stem  is  strong 
and  with  thick  spreading 
branches,  which,  however,  are 
unarmed,  and  its  roots  are  aro- 
matic and  fragrant. 

A.  7iudicaiilis^  wild  sarsa- 
parilla,  is  readily  distinguished 
from  either  of  the  two  preceding 
species,  as  its  bloom  grows  in 
three  or  five  long  peduncled 
umbels  at  the  end  of  a  naked 
scape.  Moreover,  from  the 
base  arises  a  solitary  leaf.     It  is  "'./'./u'^.    „         i 

pinnately  three  to  five-foliate,  the  leaflets  being  oblong  ovate  and  serrate, 
and  by  the  time  the  plant's  fruit  matures  it  has  become  so  large  as  greatly 
to  tower  above  it.  Very  generally  the  people  gather  its  liorizontal.  aromatic 
rootstock,  either  to  sell  to  chemists  f)r  use  themselves  as  a  flavouring  for 
summer  drinks.     It  takes  somewhat  the  place  of  true  sarsaparilla. 

A.  hispida,  bristly  sarsaparilla,  or  wild  elder,  frequently  occurs  through 
the  mountainous  parts  of  North  Carolina  and  from  there  nortinvard.  Its 
herbaceous,  leafy  stem  grows  from  one  to  two  feet  high  and  is  very  bristly. 
The  leaves  are  bipinnately  divided  and  tlie  flowers  are  clustered  in  umbris 
at  the  end  of  long,  naked  peduncles.  At  no  time  very  showy,  the  plant 
appears  best  when  in  fruit. 


364  THE  GINSENG  FAMILY. 

FIVE=LEAVED    GIN5ENQ.     {Plate  CXVI.) 
Panax  quhiquefdliuin. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Ginseng.         Greenish.  Scentless.       Georgia  and  Alabaiiia  7iorih7var J.        J lu'y,  August. 

Fhni'crs  :  imperfect;  minute;  growing  in  an  umbel  at  the  end  of  a  long,  axillary 
peduncle.  Calyx  :  short,  with  five  small  teeth.  Corolla  :  of  five  petals.  Stamens  : 
five.  Ftslll:  one;  styles,  usually  two.  Frit/l :  a  cluster  of  bright  red  fleshy 
berries.  Leaves:  three;  whorled  at  the  summit  of  the  stem  and  with  petioles 
considerably  longer  than  the  flowering  peduncle;  palmately  compound,  the  three 
to  seven  leaflets  ovate,  or  oblong-obovate,  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at 
the  base;  serrate;  thin;  bright  green;  smooth;  the  lower  pair  much  smaller 
than  the  others.  Stem  :  erect,  smooth;  about  one  foot  high.  Rootstock  :  spindle- 
shaped  ;  aromatic. 

While  the  five-leaved  ginseng  bears  very  fleecy,  attractive  flowers,  its  trtie 
value  lies,  as  we  know,  in  its  curious  rootstock,  long  famed  as  being  a  cure 
for  almost  every  sort  of  ill,  and  an  antidote  for  every  poison.  Even  the 
word  panacea  is  believed  by  many  to  have  been  derived  from  its  generic 
name.  In  China  where  it  has  been  largely  cultivated  and  also  exported 
from  that  country  in  immense  quantities,  it  is  still  regarded  as  being  pos- 
sessed of  properties  more  powerfully  stimulating  to  the  human  system  than 
those  of  any  other  drug.  In  North  Carolina  a  state  law  now  prohibits  it 
from  being  gathered  before  it  has  seeded  itself,  as  formerly  hundreds  of 
pounds  were  yearly  collected  by  those  more  impatient  for  their  own  profit 
than  thoughtful  of  the  plant's  good.  It  is  nevertheless  becoming  very 
scarce. 

P.  irifbliuin,  the  dwarf  ginseng,  or  ground  nut,  is  an  attractive  little  plant, 
seen  in  bloom  through  the  woods  of  early  spring.  Its  slender  peduncle 
bearing  the  umbel  of  cream-coloured  fluffy  bloom  arises  high  above  the 
three  leaves  whorled  at  the  summit  of  the  stem.  These  latter  are  long- 
petioled  and  palmately  divided  into  three  to  five  oval  to  oblanceolate  and 
sessile  leaflets.  Often  for  the  sake  of  its  rounded,  tuberous  rootstock  which 
is  sweet-tasting  and  edible  the  little  plant  is  uprooted. 


THE  CARROT  FAMILY. 

UnibellifercE. 
Herbs  often  with  hollow  and  fu?'ro7ved  stems  ;  their  flowers  groivijig 
in  umbels^  or  rarely  heads.,  lahieh  are  usually  subtetided  by  an  involucre  ; 
and  their  alte?'?tate,  simple  or  niostly  compound  leaves  with  petioles  dilated 
atid  clasping  at  their  bases. 


PLATE  CXVl       FIVE-LEAVED  GINSENG.     P.vux  quw^-folnnu. 
(3^5) 


366  THE  CARROT  FAMILY. 

CURTIS*  ANGELICA. 

Afigelica  Curt i si i. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Carrot. 

White. 

Scentless. 

North  Carolina  and 
Pennsylvania. 

A  ugust,  September. 

Flowers:  minute;  growing  in  terminal  glabrous  or  slightly  pubescent  umbels. 
Invohicre  :  of  several  bracts,  or  none.  Fruit:  oval;  flat;  broadly  winged  all  around 
and  having  oil  tubes  within  the  intervals.  Leaves :  twice  ternate,  or  thrice  divided 
with  pinnate  divisions,  long  stalked,  the  lower  ones  sheathed  at  their  bases,  the 
upper  ones  inflated  and  scale-like.  Leaflets:  ovate,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  cor- 
date or  slightly  tapering  at  the  base  ;  irregularly  dentate,  or  incised  ;  thin.  Stem  : 
two  to  three  feet  high ;  erect  ;  branching  ;  grooved. 

The  Umbellifer^,  an  order  to  which  this  and  similarly  constructed  plants 
belong,  embraces  a  large  group  of  various  individuals  strongly  held  together, 
however,  by  common  bonds, and  which  amid  our  wild  flowers  holds  as  dis- 
tinctive a  place  as  does  the  Compositas.  Many  of  the  species  produce  on 
the  mind  similar  impressions,  for  they  are  wonderfully  alike  ;  it  being  in  some 
cases  only  by  the  mature  fruit  that  they  or  even  the  genera  are  determined 
with  satisfaction.  Again  the  leaves  of  many  individuals  among  them  show 
strong  variations,  and  their  flowers  being  almost  identical  thus  greatly  per- 
plex the  beginner  who  would  study  their  ways.  A  peculiarity  of  them  all  is 
that  some  time  before  their  stamens  are  ready  to  shed  the  pollen,  the  stigmas 
are  fully  developed,  so  insects  are  necessary  to  cross-fertilize  them.  The 
species  herein  presented  are  all  rather  distinctive  and  present  a  fairly  good 
showing  of  the  family,  but  for  a  more  extended  study  a  purely  scientific  book 
should  be  used. 

The  genus  Angelica  bears  its  name  on  account  of  its  credited  efficacy  in 
healing. 

A.  villbsa,  pubescent  Angelica,  a  plant  very  similar  to  its  relative,  is  char- 
acterised by  the  pubescence  on  its  upper  stems  and  peduncles  and  the  dense 
tomentum  of  its  umbels.  Its  leaf  segments,  moreover,  are  obtuse  at  the 
apex  and  the  carpels  less  strongly  winged. 

HAIRY=JOINTED  MEADOW=PARSNIP. 

Thdspium  barbiiibde. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Carrot.        Pale  yellozv.         Scentless.         Florida  to  Arlcansas  and  Ontario.         JMay^Jtme. 

Flowers  :  minute  ;  growing  on  long  peduncles  in  terminal  and  lateral  umbels. 
Calyx-teeth:  very  short.  Liivolucre:  none.  Carpels:  oblong,  smooth,  the  broad 
ribs  rather  unequal.  Leaves  :  once,  twice  or  thrice  pinnate  ;  the  leaflets,  ovate, 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  wedge-shaped  or  rounded  at  the  base  ;  sessile  or  nearly  so 
with  the  exception  of  the  terminal  one,  irregularly  toothed,  often  lobed  ;  thin. 
Stem:  erect;  branched  above;  two  to  four  feet  high 5  smooth  excepting  at  the 
joints. 


THE  CARROT   FAMILY. 


3^^7 


Many  members  of  the  carrot  family  arc  extremely  pretty  as  is  this  one 
with  its  fine  yellow  flowers  and  fern-like  sprays  of  foliage.  In  the  distinc- 
tion of  it  is  to  be  noticed  that  the  little  tufts  of  hairs  at  the  joints  play  an 
important  part.  It  grows  along  river  banks,  or  in  open  woods  where  often 
later  in  the  season  its  place  is  taken  by  some  showy  coreopsis.  The  generic 
name  is  from  the  island  of  Thapsus  where  we  remember  the  great  m\illen  is 
a  native. 

BUTTON  SNAKEROOT.     RATTLESNAKE  MASTLR. 

{lUatc  CXVII.) 
Eryngiu ni  aq laitic u in . 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Carrot. 

White. 

Scentless. 

Florida  to   J'exas,  Missouri 
ami  Xeiv  Jersey. 

June-Sef'tetiihrr. 

Flozi'cr  heads  :  globose-ovoid;  growing  on  thick  peduncles  and  subtcndccl  by 
ovate-lanceolate,  bristle-tipped  bracts;  similar  bracts  also  mingled  with  the 
flowers  and  forming  the  involucres.  Leaves:  linear,  tapering  to  a  point  at  the  apex 
and  having  a  sheathing,  clasping  base  ;  sparingly  bristled  along  the  margins; 
parallel-veined  ;  coriaceous.  Sletn  :  stout ;  one  to  six  feet  high  ;  branched  above  ; 
glabrous. 

Hardly  could  a  plant  be  found  among  the  carrot  family  which  in  general 
appearance  suggests  less  its  kinship  to  the  wild  carrot,  the  parsleys  and 
other  well-known  members  of  the  order  than  this  very  button  snakeroot.  Its 
dense,  bracted  flower-heads  form  pleasing, effects  more  similar  to  those  of 
some  fine  grasses,  while  the  foliage  is  so  like  the  yucca'sthat  at  one  time  the 
plant  was  called  Eryngium  yuccaefolium.  It  grows  mostly  in  pine-barrens 
and  is  subject  to  considerable  variation  both  in  height  and  in  the  size  of  its 
leaves. 

E.  Virgi7iumiim,  Virginia  eryngo,  an  attractive,  slender  individual. grow- 
ing  in  wet  places  along  the  borders  of  streams  and  by  ponds,  bears  narrowly. 
linear  leaves,  not  parallel-veined,  and  small,  dense  heads  of  white  dowers, 
subtended  by  an  involucre  of  lanceolate,  spiny-toothed,  or  entire  bracts 
which  are  reflexed  and  sometimes  as  long  as  the  heads  themselves.  They 
have  also  a  glistening,  silvery  sheen. 

E.  Baldwinu,  a  species  purely  of  the  far  south,  is  here  mentioned  simply 
to  show  the  extreme  forms  of  the  ortler.  Its  flower-heads  are  very  small. 
and  it  is  a  slender,  almost  prostrate  little  thing,  often  rooting  at  the  joints. 
Its  upper  thread-like  leaves  are  thin  and  quite  unarmed  while  those  nearer  the 
base  are  three-parted.     The  earliest  or  basal  leaves  have  long  petioles 

The  other  interesting  members  of  this  genus  which  occur  through  our 
range  have  necessarily  been  omitted. 


PLATE  CXVIl.     BUTTON  SNAKEROOT.     Ervngium  aquaiicum. 
(368) 


THE  CARROT  FAMILY.  369 


SHORT=STYLED  SNAKEROOT. 

Si  I  n  icuh  I  Canadt  n  sis . 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Carrot. 

Greenish  ycllo-v. 

Scentless. 

Florida  and  /'eras 
nort/nvarti. 

.;/•'..    Aur:.,t. 

Fl07vcrs  heads  :  small;  growing  in  irregular,  few-rayc(!  umbels,  ;,..  ,.ciilc 
flowers  few  and  with  short  pedicels.  Involucre  :  of  small  leaf-like  bracts.  Until- 
lets  :  mingled  with  the  flowers,  also  very  small.  Leai'es  :  those  from  the  base 
with  very  long,  smooth  petioles;  those  of  the  stcnj,  short-petioled,  or  sessile; 
paimately  three  to  seven  parted,  the  divisions  serrate,  or  sharply  cut  and  smooth. 
Sle/fi  :  one  to  three  feet  high;  simple;  smooth. 

From  Sanicula  Marylandica,  the  coninioii  black  snakcroot.  this  present  plant 
of  ours  varies  very  httle  in  superficial  characters,  but  the  former  is  a  perennial 
species  and  the  latter  of  biennial  duration.  There  is  also  a  character  in  the 
lengths  of  the  styles  between  the  two,  the  common  black  snakeroot  havinj^ 
styles  longer  than  the  bristles  of  the  fruit,  a  feature  exactly  reversed  in  the 
short-styled  snakeroot. 

For  a  long  time  the  genus  has  been  renov/ned  for  its  powers  of  healing, 
especially  in  the  matter  of  snake  bites.  Fifteen  species  are  recognised  as 
occurring  in  the  United  States. 

SnOOTHER  SWEET  CICELY. 

I Vashiiiglbiiia  longislylis. 

FAMILY       COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Carrot.  Wliite.         Roois^anise  scented.      Tennessee  and  A  lahanta  north-         .May,  June. 

ward  to  Canada. 

Flo'oers  :  vt\\x\w\.t\  growing  in  small  umbels  and  subtended  by  an  involucel  of 
few  lanceolate  bracts.  Calyx:  five  toothed.  Corolla:  with  five  small  petals. 
Stamens  :  five,  slightly  protruding.  Pistil:  one;  styles,  two.  Fruit  :  long,  narrow, 
bristly.  Leaves  :  from  the  base  and  on  the  stem;  twice  or  thrice  compound  with 
ovate,  toothed  or  deeply  cleft  leaflets;  tb.in  and  slightly  downy.  Stems :  stout;  one 
to  three  feet,  smooth  at  maturity.     Kootstoek:  aromatic,  sweet. 

As  a  virtuous  member  in  a  family  of  marked  good  and  evil  traits  wc  find 
the  smoother  sweet  cicely  producing  a  rootstock  of  edible  and  tasteful  quality, 
which  to  those  who  rely  for  food  on  nature's  wild  garden  is  as  friendly 
as  the  parsnip,  celery,  parsley,  carrots,  caraway  and  other  members,  which 
thrive  in  cultivated  places.  The  whole  plant  emits,  moreover,  a  delightful 
fragrance  as  it  spreads  its  fern-like,  graceful  spray  of  foliage  through  wooded 
places  and  raises  its  very  small  umbels  of  bloom.  More  noticeable  also  is  the 
anise-like  scent  of  its  roots  than  that  of  its  near  relative. 

W,  Clayloni,  woolly  sweet  cicely,  is  in  opposition  to  the  preceding  |>lant  a 
villous-pubescent  species.  It  prefers  to  grow  also  in  rich  wooils  but  hardly 
further  southward  than  North  Carolina.  The  genus  has  been  dedicated  to 
George  Washington. 


370  THE  CARROT  FAMILY. 

GOLDEN  MEADOW  PARSNIP. 

Ziza  aurea. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Carrot.  Yelloiu.  Scentless.  Florida  and  Texas  to  Canada.  April-June. 

Flotuers  :  growing  in  umbels  with  numerous  rays  and  having  no  involucre,  the 
bractlets  of  the  invoiucel  very  small.  The  central  flower  and  fruit  of  the  rays 
being  sessile.  Frui'^  :  oblong.  Leaves :  those  from  the  base  with  very  long  peti- 
oles, twice  or  thrice  ternately  compound;  the  leaflets  ovate,  sharply  serrate;  those 
of  the  upper  stem  ternate  and  almost  sessile.  Stem  :  one  to  three  feet  high, 
branched,  erect;  smooth. 

This  genus  of  the  carrot  family  was  at  one  time  confused  with  the  Thas- 
piums,  perhaps  because  there  is  so  strong  a  similarity  between  their  foliage. 
It  is,  however,  now  well  established  on  its  own  merits  and  can  always 
be  distinguished  by  its  wingless  fruit. 

Z.  cordata,  heart-leaved  Alexanders,  as  its  specific  name  would  imply, 
shows  as  its  most  characteristic  feature  the  shape  of  its  radical  leaves, 
they  being  long  petioled,  rounded  cordate,  crenate  and  quite  dissimilar  from 
those  of  the  upper  stem  which  are  from  three  to  five  times  divided.  Usually 
the  plant  is  tall  and  branching  and  has  the  lower  part  of  its  stem  quite  stout. 


WATER  HEMLOCK.     SPOTTED  COWBANE. 
nUSQUASH   ROOT. 

Ciciita  niacidata. 

FAMILY        COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Carrot,  White.  Scentless,       Florida  and  Mississippi  nort/nuard.      July,  August. 

Flo7uers :  minute;  growing  in  large,  loose,  many  rayed  umbels.  Involucre: 
usually  wanting.  I^ractlets  of  the  involucels,  narrow.  Calyx:  five-toothed. 
Fruit:  oval  or  ovate,  with  six  oil  tubes  in  each  carpel.  Leaves:  compound; 
twice  or  thrice-pinnately  divided,  the  segments  lanceolate,  or  oblong-lanceolate, 
long  pointed  at  the  apex;  deeply  serrate,  with  veinlets  extending  to  the  borders; 
glabrous.  Stem  :  stout ;  two  to  six  feet  high ;  hollow  ;  glabrous  and  finely 
streaked  with  purple. 

As 'long  ago  as  when  the  Jews  stoned  their  criminals  to  death,  it  is 
thought  that  they  knew  of  the  bitter  and  poisonous  properties  of  certain 
umbelliferous  plants  and  that  they  lessened  the  violence  of  such  deaths  by 
mingling  their  juices  with  the  myrrh  which  the  victims  were  given  to  drink. 
Even  the  potion  which  Socrates  drank  is  believed  to  have  been  made  from 
such,  possibly  from  Conium  maculatum,  the  poison  hemlock  so  often  seen 
growing  in  waste  grounds. 


THE  CARROT  FAMILY.  37, 

MANY-FLOWERED  MARSH   PENNYWORT. 

HydrocotyU  unibillata. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Carrot.  White,  Scentless.  Floriiia  to  M .issachusctts  May  Jutu 

and  westward. 

Flowers:  minute;  growing  in  sniall  umbels  either  simple,  or  proliferous  borne 
on  elongated  peduncles  which  arise  from  a  point  opposite  the  leaves.  Involucre  : 
with  ovate  bracts.  Calyx-teeth  :  minute.  Lorollu  :  with  five  small  petals.  Fruit : 
orbicular;  without  real  oil  tubes.  Leaves  :  orbicular-peltate;  bluntly  crcnalc. 
Stems:  slender;  creeping. 

Commonly  we  meet  with  these  low  marsli  herbs  which  grow  near  or  in 
water,  usually  rooting  themselves  from  the  joints.  Tliey  belong  to  a  not 
very  handsome  or  interesting  group  but  in  many  places  seem  to  play  a 
part  in  pond  life.  On  the  sides  their  carpels  are  flattened,  and  instead  of 
displaying  prominent  oil  tubes  there  is  an  oil  bearing  layer  of  tissue. 

H.  ranitncu/coldes,  floating  marsh-pennywort  which  is  indigenous  from 
Florida  to  Pennsylvania  and  westward  in  muddy  places,  or  in  water  where 
it  can  float,  has  thick  leaves,  cleft  from  three  to  seven  times  and  crenate 
about  their  margins.  Its  long-peduncled  umbels  bear  from  five  to  ten 
flowers. 

H.  Cdnbyi,  Canby's  marsh-pennywort,  is  of  creeping  habit  and  bears 
proliferous  umbels  in  verticils  of  from  three  to  nine  flowers,  the  pedicels  of 
which  are  very  short.     Its  leaves  are  peltate-orbicular  and  rather  attractive. 

H.  verticillata,  whorled  marsh-pennywort,  thrives  well  in  ditches  along 
the  coast  and  is  known  by  the  verticillate  way  in  which  its  umbels  form  on 
the  scape  an  interrupted  spike.  Its  leaves  also  arise  from  the  base  and 
are  borne  on  long  petioles.  Unlike  the  fruits  of  the  preceding  species 
those  of  this  pennywort  are  not  notched  at  their  ends. 

A  number  of  conspicuous  plants  that  loudly  proclaim  themselves  to  be 
members  of  the  carrot  family  and  which  occur  very  commonly  in  this 
country  have,  however,  been  introduced  from  the  old  world. 

Among  them  are  the  wode-whistle,  or  poison  hemlock,  Conium  maculatum, 
sometimes  abounding  in  waste  places;  the  fennel,  Foeniculum  Foenicfflum, 
with  its  numerous  umbels  of  bright  yellow  flowers,  and  thought  by  many 
to  be  a  plant  of  ill  omen,  as  the  proverb  runs,  "  sowing  fennel  is  sowing  sor- 
row." Again  the  fools'  parsley,  or  cicely,  ^tthusa  Cynapium,  an  intensely  poi- 
sonous plant  shows  through  waste  places  its  numerous  umbels  of  small  white 
flowers  ;  and  the  wild  parsnip  or  tank,  Pastinaca  sativa,  recognised  as  a  com- 
mon weed.  Besides  this  goodly  company  so  placidly  thriving  in  the  land 
of  their  adoption  there  is,  more  general  than  them  all,  the  wild  carrot,  or 


372  THE  CARROT  FAMILY. 

Oaeen  Anne's  lace,  Daucus  carota.  It  is  as  we  know  a  beautiful  plant, 
unusually  decorative,  and  has  been  the  stock  from  which  the  cultivated  car- 
rot has  been  produced;  but  also  through  its  rank  growth  it  becomes  an 
objectionable  weed,  making  often  the  farmer's  life  a  burden  to  him. 


THE  DOGWOOD  FAMILY. 

ConiacecB, 

Trees  or  shrubs  with  sii7iple  opposite,  alternate  or  whorled  leaves^  entire 
or  more  seldom  toothed,  and  which  bear  regular  perfect  or  imperfect 
flowers  in  cy?nes  or  other  for?ns  of  itiflorescences.     Fruit :  a  drupe. 

ALTERNATE=LEAVED  DOGWOOD  OR  CORNEL. 

Cornus  alter7iifblia. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Dog7vood. 

Cream-white. 

Scentless. 

Alabama  and  Georgia 
7iort/nuard. 

May,  June. 
Fruit:  September. 

Flowers:  small;  growing  in  flat,  open  cymes  and  having  no  showy  involucre. 
Calyx :  with  four  minutely  toothed  sepals.  Corolla  :  with  four  lanceolate  petals. 
Stamens:  four.  Pistil:  one.  Fruit:  dark  blue  drupes  growing  on  reddish 
pedicels.  Leaves:  alternate;  clustered  at  the  ends  of  the  branches;  slender 
petioled  ;  elliptical  ;  entire  or  minutely  denticulate;  yellowish  green  and  glabrous 
above;  paler  and  slightly  pubescent  underneath  between  the  curved  ribs.  A 
widely  spreading  shrub  or  small  tree  with  reddish  brown  bark,  smooth  or  broken 
into  narrow,  irregular  ridges. 

When  the  time  is  at  hand  for  the  earth  to  show  forth  its  life  and  every 
bough  is  bathed  in  warm  sunny  air,  and  buds  burst  and  leaves  unfold,  there 
is  much  presented  through  our  woods  by  the  dogwood  trees  and  shrubs. 
It  is,  however,  only  the  so-called  flowering  one  which,  with  its  fine,  broad 
involucre,  throws  out  a  splendid  shower  of  white  at  this  season.  The  others 
are  without  this  showy  signal,  but  still  their  small  flowers  clustered  often  in 
large  heads  have  their  own  attraction.  Many  of  the  genus  charm  us,  more- 
over, with  exquisitely  bright  stems  the  bark  of  which  retains  sufficient  colour 
to  make  them  cheerful  looking  objects  throughout  the  winter  when  their 
colouring  matter  and  that  of  most  of  their  neighbours  has  become  inert.  For 
this  feature  of  beauty  alone  they  are  often  planted.  In  the  autumn  also 
when  beset  with  red,  blue  or  white  berries  they  are  very  handsome.  By 
many  country  people  the  bark  of  the  dogwoods  is  made  into  a  powerfultonic 
for  invigorating  the  system.  In  fact  through  the  mountainous  parts  of  the 
SPUtb  vvbere  whiskey  is  made  on  the  spot  it  is  used  as  a  basis  for  the  drug. 


THE  D0(;\V()()1)  IWMILV 

0/  J 

C.  stricta,  stiff  cornel,  or  dog^wood,  inhabits  swampy  places  from  Florida 
to  North  Carolina  and  Virginia  and  is  seen  as  a  shrub,  six  to  fifteen  feet 
high,  with  brown  or  greyish  purple  branches.  Its  oppcisitc  ovale  or  ovate- 
lanceolate  leaves  are  much  paler  below  than  above  and  slightly  rough,  their 
margins  being  often  minutely  denticulate.  In  llat  cymes  the  small  flowers 
grow  abundantly  and  later  produce  also  small  and  pale  blue  drupes. 

C.  Amb)iu}n,  kinnikinnik,  or  silky  cornel,  remains  always  a  shrub,  at  most 
about  ten  feet  high,  and  is  found  through  low,  moist  woods  and  bordering 
streams.  On  the  undersides  of  its  ovate  or  oval  leaves  there  is  a  silky  pubes- 
cence, and  such  also  noticeably  covers  the  compact  cymes,  while  as  the 
leaves  grow  old  their  surfaces  are  often  blotched  with  purple,  a  colour  prom- 
inent on  the  branches.  The  drupes  are  pale  blue  and  enclose  a  stone 
pointed  at  its  base. 

C.  asperifblia,  rough-leaved  cornel,  or  dogwood,  a  pretty  one  of  the 
genus,  can  be  told  by  its  white  fruit.  Its  leaves  also  which  are  extremely 
rough  above,  are  covered  underneath  with  a  silvery  down.  As  a  shrub  it 
occurs  through  low  grounds  from  Georgia  northward  to  Canada. 

C.  flbrida,  flowering  dogwood,  is  too  familiar,  as  through  the  woods  it 
casts  out  its  early  spring  bloom,  to  need  a  full  description.  From  the 
species  that  have  already  been  mentioned  it  mostly  differs  in  having  its 
flowers  subtended  by  a  four-leaved  white  involucre,  the  obcordate  divisions 
of  which  are  notched  and  tipped  with  pink  at  their  apices.  The  true  and 
insignificant  little  flowers  of  the  centre  are  greenish.  Again  its  drupes  are 
ovoid  and  bright  red.  Late  in  the  season  when  the  leaves  have  nearly  all 
fallen  they  rest  in  great  abundance  on  the  ground  giving  to  the  dried  soil  a 
warm  cheery  look. 

SOUR,  OR  BLACK  GUn.  TUPELO  TREE.   PEPPERRIDGE. 

Nyssa  sylvdtica. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Dog7vood. 

Greenish. 

Scentless. 

Texas  and  Florida  to  Maine. 

AP'ii-J  unf. 

Stamitiate  flo7vers :  %w\?(\\\  numerous;  clustered  at  the  ends  of  axillary,  pubescent 
peduncles.  Pistillate  flinoers  :  larger  and  from  two  to  fourteen.  Dni/^c:  dark 
blue  or  nearly  black,  about  half  an  inch  long  and  enclosing  an  ovoid,  Hattened  and 
slighdy  ridged  stone,  acrid  to  the  taste  until  touched  by  frost.  L<;i7ys :  alter- 
nate; entire,  with  petioles  which  when  young  are  very  downy;  elliptical;  dark 
green  above,  lighter  below,  the  midrib  pubescent  when  young.  Biirk:  grcv. 
rough,  much  broken  in  small  ])ieces. 

"T'ain't  no  good  no  how,"  ayoung  lad  in  the  Alleghanies  assured  me 
one  day  about  the  wood  of  the  black  gum,  as  there  this  tree  is  callrd. 
"  If  yer  let  it  git  civered  with  wet,  it  rots ;  and  if  yer  keep  it  right  smart  dry 


374  THE  DOGWOOD  FAMILY. 

it's  food  for  worms.  Like  enough  tain't  no  good  for  fire- wood."  But 
notwithstanding  his  depreciatory  opinion  of  this  individual  which  shows  the 
first  ghmpses  of  briUiant  scarlet  in  the  autumn,  it  has  a  very  decided  use 
among  the  people  of  this  region.  It  is  one  of  their  "  chaw  sticks  "  or  "  tooth 
brushes.''  And  by  these  noneuphonious  names  is  meant  the  little  stick  with 
which  they  dip  snuff.  This  practice  is  indeed  very  different  from  the  one 
wherein  a  pinch  of  the  stuff  is  taken  between  the  thumb  and  finger  from  an 
enamelled  box  and  inhaled  through  the  nostrils.  Those  that  really  dip 
snuff  carry  about  a  small  stick  nearly  four  inches  long,  and  usually  a  bit  of 
the  black  gum  because  it  is  a  wood  that  chews  up  well  into  a  little  brush  at 
the  end.  This  they  dip  into  snuff,  or,  when  they  cannot  get  it,  into  pul- 
verised tobacco  and  then  rub  it  up  and  down  along  the  gums.  Often  an  old 
woman  is  seen  with  such  a  bit  of  wood  sticking  out  from  between  her  closed 
lips.  And  it  is  not  only  the  old  women  of  the  mountains  that  dip  snuff. 
The  fairest  of  the  young  girls  are  sometimes  well  confirmed  in  the  habit. 
The  region  is  one  where  even  infants  chew  tobacco.  In  some  places  on 
occasions  of  festivity  the  girls  provide  the  snuff  and  the  men  the  whiskey. 
Who  then  shall  doubt  that  opportunity  is  ripe  for  enjoyment  ? 

N.  ogecJie,  sour  tupelo  or  ogechee  lime,  grows  mostly  in  river  swamps 
which  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year  are  inundated.  Its  twigs  have  a 
silvery  grey  bark,  and  even  in  old  age  the  leaves  underneath  are  densely 
pubescent.  After  the  foliage  has  fallen,  bright  red  fruits  gleam  vividly  from 
the  trees;  they  are  larger  than  any  others  of  the  genus,  measuring  often 
over  an  inch  long  and  ripen  in  August.  Their  rather  tart  flavour  causes 
them  in  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  to  be  abundantly  eaten  by  the  people 
as  well  as  made  into  preserves. 

N.  aqudtica,  large  tupelo,  cotton  gum,  occurs  as  a  large  tree  from 
Florida  northward  to  Virginia  and  Missouri.  Its  parts,  when  young,  are 
noticeably  covered  with  a  soft  tomentum  which,  however,  falls  away  as  the 
plant  matures.  In  October,  its  dark  blue  drupes  and  wonderfully  gay  foli- 
age cast  a  charm  over  many  a  southern  scene.  It  was  Linnseus  who 
named  the  genus  after  a  water  nymph  ;  for  this  species  he  knew,  and  it 
confines  itself  to  the  swamps. 


THE  WHITE=ALDER  FAHILY. 

ClctJu'cicecc. 
Trees,  or  shrubs  with  si7fiple,  alternate,  serrate  leaves,  and  which  bear 
small  ivhite  flowers  in  long,  narrow  racemes. 


THE  WHITE-ALDER  FA^^LY.  3.5 

MOUNTAIN  SWEET  PEPPERBUSH. 

Clcthra  aciimindta. 


FAMILY 

W kite-alder. 

COLOUR 

IVkite. 

ODOUR 
Fragrant. 

RANGE 
Georgia  to  Virginia. 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 
July,  Auxusf. 
Iruil:   LKtohr. 

Flo7ocrs  :  growing  in  long,  abundant  and  terminal  racemes,  either  singly  or  two 
or  three  together.  Ctf/j'x;  five-cleft,  with  densely  pubescent  lobes;  pJrsistent' 
Corolla  :  with  five  broadly-linear,  or  oblong  petals,  squared  at  the  apex.  Stumnts  • 
ten  ;  exserted,  on  the  corolla.  Filaments  :  '>\^\\C^qx,  hairy;  anthers  sagittate,  at- 
tached near  the  middle.  Pistil:  one;  stigmas,  three.  CopsuU-s  :  thrcc-lobcd- 
pubescent  and  containing  many  seeds.  Ltunrs  :  with  long,  pubescent' petioles  ;  long 
oval,  or  oblong,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded  or  pointed  at  the  base,  sli'giitly 
one-sided;  closely  serrate  ;  thin;  bright  green  and  glabrous  above,  lighter  below 
often  pubescent.      Tw^''-^:  brownish,  pubescent.  * 

With  their  intensely  green  and  lusLrotis  foliage  and  slender  sj^rays  of 
creamy  flowers  making  the  air  heavy  with  a  rich  scent,  there  are  through 
our  woods  hardly  lovelier  shrubs  to  be  seen  than  these  very  pepperbushes. 
This  one  often  is  sometimes  arborescent  and  grows  abundantly  in  places 
about  the  outskirts  of  rhododendron  thickets.  Rather  late  in  the  season  it 
comes  into  bloom,  and  then  often  intermingled  with  the  flowers  are  the 
persistent  capsules  of  the  preceding  year.  In  North  America  there  are 
but  two  species  of  Clethra  known,  and  so  very  beautiful  are  they  both  that 
it  would  seem  as  though  they  should  be  more  general  in  cultivation. 

C.  ahufblia,  white  alder,  or  sweet  pepperbush,  covers  quite  an  e.xtended 
range  and  grows  mostly  near  the  coast.  Its  obovate  leaves  are  generally 
smooth  on  both  sides,and  in  its  smooth  filaments  is  found  a  specific  distinc- 
tion. When  in  the  late  season  it  comes  into  bloom  it  is  very  similar  and 
quite  as  handsome  as  its  exclusively  southern  relative. 


THE  INDIAN=PIPE  FAMILY. 

Moiiotropacccc. 
Saprophytic  herbs  with    simple^  bracted  scapes  atul  regular,  perfect 
plowers  which  grow  cither  singly.,  or  in  clusters. 

INDIAN=PIPE.     GHOST  FLOWER.     CORPSE  PLANT. 

Mo7i6tropa  tiniptora. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF   BLOOM 

Indian-pipe.  White.  Scentless.  Florida  northxvard.  June-Septouho . 

Flozvers:  terminal;  solitary;  nodding,  becoming   erect  in  fruit.     Calyx:  of   two 
to  four   deciduous   sepals.      Corotla:  of   four  to  si.\   bract-like    petals.     Stamcm; 


376  THE  INDIAN-PIPE  FAMILY. 

usually  ten,  the  anthers  peltate.  Stig-ma  :  five-rayed.  S/j//e:  short.  Fruit:  an 
erect  capsule.  Stem:  four  to  ten  inches  high;  leafless  but  bracted;  round;  smooth; 
white,  turning  to  black  atter  being  picked. 

This  is  the  strange  little  plant  that  we  sometimes  catch  a  stray  glimpse  of 
through  woods  as  perchance  it  thrives  on  some  decayed  vegetable  matter 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Carolina  lily.  Its  small  nodding  flowers  are 
shaped  like  a  pipe,  and  its  look  is  ghost-like,  the  plant  being  quite  without 
the  grains  of  chlorophyll  which  produce  the  green  colouring  matter  we  are 
so  accustomed  to  seeing  in  foliage.  Occasionally,  however,  the  whole 
plant  is  found  of  a  pinky  red.  Through  deep,  well-shaded  woods  it 
blooms  until  late  in  the  summer,  and  is  perhaps  as  well  known  and  beloved 
by  country  children  as  is  Jack-in-the-pulpit.  The  Indians  make  a  decoc- 
tion from  it  for  the  purpose  of  strengthening  the  eyes. 

Monotropsis  odordta,  Carolina  beech-drops,  or  sweet  pine-sap  {Plate 
CXVIII),  is  more  rarely  found  through  shady  woods  than  the  Indian  pipe 
and  is  a  rather  shorter  plant.  Its  fragrant  flowers  also  are  considerably 
smaller  and  nod  in  a  terminal  raceme.  They  are  pink  and,  as  is  the  way  of 
this  family,  the  plants  are  Saprophytic. 

Hypopitys  Hypopitys,  false  beech-drops,  or  pine-sap,  bears  its  flowers 
numerously  and  in  a  terminal  raceme.  From  a  dull  ecru  they  vary  in  colour 
to  a  tawny  shade  of  red  and  are  faintly  fragrant.  They,  as  well  as  the 
stalks,  are  noticeably  pubescent.  Of  the  upper  flowers  their  parts  usually 
are  in  fives,  while  the  lower  ones  are  divided  in  fours. 

THE  HEATH  FAMILY. 

Ej'icdcccE. 

Small  trees,  shrubs  or  herbs  with  simple,  alternate  or  opposite  exstip- 
ttlate  leaves, and  ivhich  bear perfectyinostly  gamopetalous flowers, 

FLAME  AZALEA.  YELLOW  HONEYSUCKLE. 

{Plate  CXIX.)     Frontispiece. 
Azalea  liitea. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Heath.  Flame.  Faintly  fragrant.  Georgia  to  New  York.  May,j7cne. 

Flowers:  large;  very  showy  in  terminal  clusters  and  appearing  with  the  leaves. 
Calyx:  five-parted,  minute,  pubescent.  Corolla:  funnel-form,  with  five  flaring 
and  pointed  lobes,  the  tube  and  under  parts  being  glandular-pubescent.  Sta?netis: 
five,  much  exserted,  pubescent  at  the  bases  of  their  filaments.  Pistil  ;  one. 
Crt/j-«/t' ;  linear-oblong;  woolly.     Zt'^zzrj-.- clustered  at    the  ends  of   the    branches; 


".:.y^;'^^*'^^ 


PLATE   CXVIIi.     CAROLINA  BEECH-DROPS.     Moiiolropsis  oJoijIj. 

(377) 


378  THE  HEATH  FAMILY. 

obovate,  oval  or  oblanceolate,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded  or  tapering  into 
short  pubescent  petioles  at  the  base;  entire;  ciliate ;  almost  glabrous  above  and 
pubescent  underneath.     A  shrub   four  to  fifteen  inches  high  with  greyish  twigs. 

Through- the  mountain  fastnesses— for  it  is  on  the  high  places  of  its  range 
that  the  flame  azalea  grows  to  perfection — and  where  it  sometimes  covers 
solid  acres  with  its  wonderful  bloom,  even  the  natives  notice  and  are  some- 
what awed  by  its  loveliness.  No  greater  tribute  to  its  beauty  could  it  have 
than  this,  for  these  people  are  impassive,  very  shy  and  reticent.  Usually 
when  asked  about  the  azalea's  spring  bloom  they  simply  answer  laconically, 
"Pretty  enough." 

Bartram  in  his  "  Travels  "  calls  this  one  the  "  fiery  azalea  "  and  in  speak- 
ing of  its  varied  hues  says  :  "  This  epithet  Fiery  I  annex  to  this  most 
celebrated  species  of  2uL2\^?i  as  being  expressive  of  the  appearance  of  its 
flowers,  which  are  in  general  of  the  colour  of  the  finest  red  lead,  orange  and 
bright  gold,  as  well  as  yellow  and  cream  colour.  These  various  splendid 
colours  are  not  only  on  separate  plants,  but  frequently  all  the  varieties  and 
shades  are  seen  in  separate  branches  on  the  same  plant,  and  the  clusters  of 
blossoms  cover  the  shrubs  in  such  incredible  profusion  on  the  hillsides,  that 
suddenly  opening  to  view  from  dark  shades,  we  are  alarmed  with  the  ap- 
prehension of  the  woods  being  set  on  fire.  This  is  certainly  the  most  gay 
and  brilliant  flowering  shrub  yet  known." 

Even  more  beautiful  than  the  rhododendrons  are  often  the  azaleas 
through  our  range,  but  it  is  not  every  season  that  they  are  seen  in  their  full- 
ness of  bloom.  Mostly  on  alternate  years  they  attain  to  the  very  height  of 
their  beauty.  Then  it  is  that  the  mountaineers  notice  them  and  dread  the 
coming  on  of  storms  that  might  do  them  harm. 

A.  arborescensy  smooth,  or  tree  azalea,  grows  in  a  tree-like  way  to  some- 
times the  height  of  twenty  feet.  Its  obovate,  or  oblanceolate  leaves  are 
lustrous,  smooth  on  both  sides  and  in  the  season  its  crown  is  covered  with 
innumerable  exquisite  white  and  pink  blossoms  which  fill  the  air  with  a  de- 
lightful spicy  fragrance.  It  is  then  one  of  the  fairest,  most  lovely  spirits 
of  the  woodlands.  In  North  Carolina  and  along  the  foothills  of  the 
Alleghanies  it  grows  often  in  much  profusion.  It  is  found  as  far  north- 
ward as  Pennsylvania. 

A.  vicbsa,  swamp  honeysuckle,  white  azalea  often  a  low  and  much 
branched  shrub,  or  again  becoming  as  tall  as  ten  feet,  unfolds  as  it  grows 
through  swamps  its  white  and  fragrant  bloom  after  the  leaves  are  well 
spread,  usually  in  early  June.  Again  it  is  called  clammy  azalea,  the  tube  of 
its  flowers  being  so  very  viscid. 

A.  nudiflbra,  pinkster-flower,  wild  honeysuckle  or  pink  azalea,  which 
mostly  is  branched  near  its  summit,  grows  on  the  contrary  through  woods 


THE  HEATH  FAMIIA'.  37^ 

and  thickets  and  opens  its  bloom  at  the  same  time,  or  a  little  before  its 
leaves.  Its  pink  and  white  flowers  have  not  as  intense  a  fragrance  as  those 
of  the  swamp  honeysuckle,  and  their  tube  is  pubescent  but  very  slightly 
glandular.  There  grows  we  remember  on  the  azaleas  a  fleshy  ball  called 
the  May,  or  swamp  apple,  the  very  thought  of  which  brought  such  delightful 
reminiscences  of  boyhood  to  Mr.  Hamilton  Gibson. 

PURPLE    LAUREL.     CATAWBA    RHODODENDRON. 

MOUNTAIN  ROSE  BAY.     {JUaU  CXX.) 

Rhododendron  Cataiubu'nsc. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

J  hath. 

Lilac-purple. 

Scentless. 

Alabama  to  Xorth  Carolina 
and  I'irginia. 

.Mayjuu.. 

'  Flcnvcrs :  large;  growing  profusely  with  long,  pubescent  pedicels  in  tcrniin.il 
clusters.  Calyx:  persistent,  the  five  pointed  lobes  very  small.  Corolln  :  bell- 
shaped,  with  five  rounded,  irregular  lobes.  Stamens  :  ten,  exscrtcd.  Pistil :  one  ; 
style,  exserted,  crimson.  Capsule  :  oblong,  projecting  the  style  and  covered  with 
a  rusty  down.  Leaves  :  evergreen  ;  petioled  ;  elliptical  or  oval,  sometimes  rounded 
at  the  base  ;  entire;  thick;  dark  green  and  glossy  above,  pale  or  glaucous  under- 
neath, the  petioles  covered  with  tomentuni  at  least  when  young.  A  shrub, 
three  to  twenty  feet  high. 

Often  in  connection  with  the  history  of  plants  we  come  upon  the  name  of 
Mr.  Eraser,  a  Scotchman,  whose  good  fortune  it  was  to  have  been  one  of 
the  earliest  botanists  to  traverse  the  south  in  quest  of  suitable  plants  to  em- 
bellish European  gardens.  Although  Michau.x's  name  is  inseparably  as- 
sociated with  the  discovery  of  this  beautiful  species,  it  was  by  "  Mr.  John 
Eraser  and  his  late  father,"  according  to  the  Botanical  Magazine,  that  it 
was  introduced  into  Europe  in  1809. 

It  grows  on  the  highest  summits  of  the  mountains  through  its  range,  fol- 
lowing the  ridges  ;  and  it  would  seem  that  only  those  that  have  seen  it  there 
with  perhaps  Abies  Eraseri  can  form  a  just  conception  of  its  immense 
thickets  and  the  beauty  it  imparts  to  the  scene.  It  was  said  to  have 
been  owing  to  the  colour  effect  of  these  flowers  that  Roan  Mountain  re- 
ceived its  name.  There  is,  however,  little  of  a  roan  look  about  them  when 
.fresh.  They  are  then  a  pinky  purple.  As  the  great  bunches  begin  to  fade, 
however,  it  can  be  conceived  that  from  a  distance  they  might  produce  an 
atmosphere  of  roan.  But  so  great  is  the  diversity  of  opinion  concerning 
colour  that  we  find  the  greater  number  of  natives  through  these  parts  call- 
ing the  plant  "  blue  laurel.'' 

Of  the  beauty  and  interwoven,  tangled  growth  of  the  rhododendrons 
through  many  mountainous  parts  of  the  south  it  is  difticult  to  transmit  an 
impression.  On  some  of  the  high  mountains  of  North  Carolina  ihcy  form 
veritable   jungles.     Not   far   from    Highlands   a  place    in    western    North 


PLATE  CXX.     PURPLE  LAUREL.     Rhododendron  Catawhiense. 
(380) 


THE  HEATH  FAMILY.  ^^^^ 

Carolina  there  is  a  stretch  of  fully  a  thousand  acres  over  whicii  tlie  various 
species  vie  with  each  other  in  strength  and  luxury  of  bloom.  As  \vc 
drove  along  through  this  region  they  bordered  the  road  in  many  places, 
arising  often  so  high  that  only  their  bare  branches  were  on  a  level  wiih  our 
eyes.  The  great  mass  of  leaves  was  far  above.  Fairly  they  climb  over  the 
mountains  and  in  the  spring  transform  them  into  huge  bouquets. 

7?.  vaseyi  is  local  in  its  habitat,  growing  mostly  in  the  mountainous 
parts  of  North  Carolina  and  always  near  swamps  or  in  washed  places.  Its 
rose-pink  flowers  burst  out  in  May  from  very  large  llower-buds  which  early 
in  March  are  well  swollen  and  show  scales  tipped  with  black.  Later  the 
leaves  unfold.  This  species  is  the  only  one  in  our  range  which  is  not  ever- 
green during  the  winter.  Thousands  and  thousands  of  these  plants  grow 
.through  parts  of  western  North  Carolina.  On  (Grandfather  Mountain  as 
well  as  at  Lake  Sapphire  we  heard  constantly  their  praises  sung  by  visitors. 

R.  ptinc latum,  little  or  dwarf  laurel,  dotted-leaved  rhododendron,  is  the 
smallest  of  our  evergreen  species.  It  has  seldom  about  it  that  great  luxury 
of  bloom  which  we  associate  with  the  others,  its  growth  being  more  scattered 
and  the  bunches  of  flowers  thinner.  Often  it  is  a  rusty-looking  shrub,  but 
still  in  bloom  very  beautiful,  and  besides  the  first  to  JdIossoui.  Usually  it 
clings  to  the  borders  of  mountain  streams  and  early  in  May  begins  to  show 
its  rose-pink  flowers.  It  would  seem  as  though  two  forms  of  this  shrub 
existed  in  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina  where  they  are  natives.  The 
one  has  its  corolla  darkly  spotted  with  yellow  and  green  in  the  throat  and  is 
of  a  deep  pink  ;  the  other  shows  almost  a  pale  flesh  tint  and  is  without  mark- 
ings whatsoever.  Of  both  sorts  the  calyx  and  corolla  are  much  dotted  with 
a  viscid  matter. 

R.  maxiumm,  great  laurel  or  rose-bay,  an  old  friend  among  the  genus 
and  which  appeals  to  me  as  the  most  beautiful,  is  covered  in  early  June  with 
large  waxy  white  flowers  marked  with  yellow  or  orange  spots.  In  cool, 
moist  places  along  the  mountains  it  forms  sometimes  thickets  so  inter- 
woven and  close  as  to  be  almost  impenetrable,  many  of  the  plants  stretch- 
ing upward  as  trees  to  nearly  forty  feet  high  and  interlacing  themselves 
with  the  boughs  of  others.  Through  the  Alleghanies,  where  it  attains  a 
luxury  as  in  no  other  region,  we  again  and  again  were  held  in  admiration 
of  it  as  it  mingled  with  the  common  hemlock  and  Eraser's  magnolia,  or  fol- 
lowed the  ridges  at  a  lower  altitude  than  Rhododendron  Catawbiense. 

R.  Chai7ipcmi,  which  inhabits  sandy  barrens  along  the  coast  of  the  far 
south,  is  although  small  a  lively  sight  in  April  when  abundantly  lit  by  its 
rose  coloured  and  spotted  blossoms.  lis  very  thick  leaves,  oval,  or  ovate,  arc 
dotted  underneath  and  the  stiff  reddish  brown  branches  are  covered  with  a 
silvery  grey  coating. 


382  THE  HEATH  FAMILY. 

FALSE      HEATHER.     ALLEGHANY  flANZIESIA. 

Menzihia  pildsa. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Heath.  Reddish  purple         Scentless.         Georgia  to  Pennsylvania.  May ^  June, 

or  greenish. 

Floxvers  :  small ;  drooping ;  growing  in  umbels  with  long,  hairy  pedicels  at  the 
ends  of  the  branchlets  and  appearing  with  the  leaves.  Ca/j/x :'  persistent ;  with 
four  blunt  teeth;  ciliate.  Corolla:  urn-shaped,  the  four  teeth  rounded  at  the  sum- 
mit. Stamens  :  eight ;  included.  Pistil :  one  ;  included.  Capsule  :  woody  ;  ovoid  ; 
covered  with  fine  glandular  hairs.  Seeds:  numerous;  pointed.  Lea'oes :  with 
short  petioles  ;  oblong  to  obovate,  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex  and  narrowed  at  the 
base  ;  entire  ;  thin  ;  hairy  on  the  upper  surface,  pale  and  glaucous  underneath 
with  a  white  fuzz  on  the  ribs.  A  shrub  two  to  six  feet  high  with  greyish  brown 
peeling'bark,  black  dotted. 

Through  the  mountainous  woods  of  its  range  where  there  is  so  happy  a 
blending  of  much  northern  and  southern  flora,  and  a  strength  of  growth  al- 
most unrivalled  prevails,  the  false  heather  climbs  sometimes  to  the  tops  of 
such  high  peaks  as  Mount  Mitchell  and  there  unfolds  its  delicately  formed 
bells  of  bloom.     In  colour  they  are  rather  indefinite. 


SAND  MYRTLE.     MOUNTAIN  HEATHER.     i^Plate  CXXII,) 
Dendrium  bnxifblium  prosirditim, 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Neath.       Pinkish  white.         Scentless.     Mountains  0/ North  Carolina.  May-October. 

Flowers:  tiny;  one  or  several  growing  in  terminal  corymbs.  Calyx:  five- 
parted,  persistent.  Corolla  :  with  five  delicate,  spreading  petals.  Stamens  :  ten  ; 
exserted.  Pistil :  one.  Capsule  :  ovo\d  and  projecting  a  remnant  of  the  slender 
style,  three  to  five-valved.  Zmz'^j- ;  very  small,  with  short  petioles  and  growing 
thickly  along  the  branchlets  ;  oval  or  oblong  ;  obtuse  ;  thick  ;  dark  green  and 
shiny  above,  lighter  below;  glabrous;  evergreen.  A  low,  much  branched  shrub 
with  rough  and  broken  bark. 

A  prettier,  more  thrifty  form  of  growth  can  hardly  be  imagined  than  is 
displayed  by  this  bewitching  little  shrub  as  it  is  seen  on  the  tip  top  of  Roan 
Mountain  hugging  about  and  closing  in  the  thick  rounded  clumps  of  rhodo- 
dendrons. It  thus  daintily  fills  in  the  space  between  where  their  branches 
stop  and  the  ground.  Late  in  September  after  its  prolific  blooming  was 
over  we  saw  the  little  thing  still  lit  here  and  there  with  its  exquisite,  tiny 
white  flowers.  Often  their  petals  were  tipped  with  deep  pink,  or  red,  and 
the  buds  especially  were  of  this  bright  colour.  The  scientific  name  of  the 
plant  when  repeated  to  a  mountaineer  who  said  he'd  "  heard  it  called  sum- 
thin'  in  books,"  so  startled  his  childish  mind  that  with  a  swift  contemptuous 
glance  he  turned  and  fled  like  a  deer. 


PLATE  CXXI.     HEMLOCKS  AND  RHODODENDRONS. 


Through  a  region  of  great  distances  little  traversed^ 
where  vcgetatioii  becomes  so  thick  as  to  hide  many  a  pitfall,  it 
seems  not  strange  that  the  mountaineer  is  ?nostly  silent  and 
turns  his  glance  quickly  away  after  once  having  eticountered 
that  of  the  stranger.  But  through  jungles  of  rhododendrons, 
ivith  ears  aivake  for  the  panther's  cry ;  in.  and  out  among 
noble  hetnlocks;  or  wading  for  miles  down  sivollen  streams^  he 
has  no  fear.  Such  to  hitn  are  only  the  harmless,  familiar 
spirits  of  the  mountains. 

(cxxi.) 


^ 


PLATE  CXXII.     SAND  MYRTLE.     Dmdnn,,,  ly„x:/b!r,::,  pro    - 
(383) 


384 


THE  HEATH  FAMILY. 


D.  biixifoUum,  the  type  of  the  genus,  is  an  erect,  spreading  plant  and 
grows  mostly  near  the  coast. 

TAR=FLOWER.     {Plate  CXXIII.) 
Bejaria  racemosa. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF   BLOOM 

Heatk.         Pinkish  iv/iite.         i^centiess.  Florida  and  Georgia.  May-July. 

Flcnuers :  showy  ;  growing  in  terminal,  simple,  or  compound  racemes  ;  pedicels, 
long,  slender.  Calyx:  short,  with  seven  broad,  sharp  pointed  teeth.  Corolla: 
with  seven,  spatulate-oblong  petals,  three  quarters  to  an  inch  long  and 
nectar  bearing  at  the  base.  Stamens  :  fourteen  on  the  corolla ;  filaments, 
woolly  at  their  bases.  Stj'/e :  long,  exserted.  Capsule :  globose  six  to  seven 
valved  and  projecting  the  style.  Leaves :  sessile  ;  oval,  or  oblong,  pointed  at 
the  apex  and  tapering  to  a  point  at  the  base  ;  entire;  olive-green  and  lustrous 
above,  the  yellowish  midrib  very  prominent  underneath,  coriaceous.  A  branch- 
ing shrub  three  to  four  feet  high,  the  twigs  covered  with  bristly  hairs. 

When  the  presence  of  the  tar-flower  is  unexpected  and  it  has  burst 
forth  with  all  its  splendour  of  life,  it  is  such  a  surprise  to  those  that  find  it 
and  such  a  beauty  that  it  can  hardly  be  watched  with  equanimity.  About 
the  flowers  there  is  a  peculiar,  delicate  expression  something  like  the  wild 
ones  of  early  spring,  or  those  that  have  been  reared  in  cultivation.  Not 
infrequently  they  linger  in  bloom  a  long  time  while  many  others  in  the  pine 
barrens  blossom  and  die. 

EUiottia  racemosa.     {Plate  CXX/V.) 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Heath. 

White. 

Scentless. 

Fortnerly  fro77t  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina. 

June. 

Flowers  :  growing  in  long,  terminal,  panicled  racemes,  with  long,  smooth  pedi- 
cels. Calyx  :  minute,  with  four  broad,  pointed  sepals.  Petals  :  four,  spreading  ; 
spatulate-linear,  rounded  at  the  summit  and  slightly  attached  at  the  base. 
Stamens:  eight,  included.  Pistil :  one,  with  capitate-stigma.  Leaves  :  oval,  ellip- 
tical or  oblanceolate,  pointed  at  the  apex,  the  mid-vein  projected  and  tapering  at 
the  base  into  the  margined  petiole ;  entire ;  bright  green  and  smooth  above  ; 
slightly  pubescent  underneath  at  least  when  young.  A  shrub  four  to  ten  feet 
high,  nearly  or  quite  glabrous. 

For  those  who  wish  to  clear  up  a  mystery  of  long  standing  it  would  be 
well  to  study  carefully  the  characteristics  of  EUiottia  and  then  go  forth  and 
search  for  it  until  its  hiding  place,  if  still  existing,  is  revealed.  At  present 
its  habitat  is  lost  to  the  knowledge  of  scientists  as  was  that  of  Shortia  for  so 
many  years.  The  accompanying  illustration,  which  portrays  it  clearly,  and 
the  analysis  here  given  were  made  possible  from  a  specimen  taken  from 
plants  of  EUiottia  collected  about  1878  by  Mr.  P.  J.  Berckmans,  near 
Augusta,  Georgia,  and  still  growing  in  cultivation  at  the  Fruitland  nurseries. 


'N 

*> 


^' 


PLATE   CXXlll.     TAR-FLOWER.      Bc-Jaria  racemosa. 

COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY  FREDERICK   A.   STOKES  COMPANY 
PRINTED   IN   AMERICA 


PLATE  CXXIV.     EUiottia  racemosa. 
(385) 


^Se  THE  HEATH  FAMILY. 

WICKY.     (F/afe  CXXV.) 
Kdlmia  ciinedta. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Heath. 

White ^  magenta 

Scentless. 

North  and  South  Carolina. 

June. 

spotted. 

Flozvers:  ^xo\s\ng\\\\.\\.  long,  thread-like  pedicels  in  lateral  corymbs.  Calyx: 
persistent,  of  five  ovate,  pointed  sepals.  Corolla  :  saucer-shaped,  with  five 
broadly  rounded  lobes,  cream-white  with  a  ring  of  magenta  at  the  base.  Stamens: 
ten,  the  anther  of  each  one  held  in  a  pouch-like  depression  of  the  petals.  Pistil : 
one,  projecting  the  style.  Gz/j-w/t- .•  sub-globose,  ridged,  depressed  at  both  ends. 
Leaves  :  oblanceolate,  or  oblong,  pointed  or  blunt  at  the  apex,  sometimes  tipped 
with  the  mid-vein  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  the  margined  petiole,  or  sessile; 
entire  ;  bright  green  above,  lighter  below  ;  glabrous  ;  deciduous.  A  small  shrub 
with  reddish  bronze  and  slightly  pubescent  twigs. 

Although  as  a  feature  of  swamp  life  this  most  dainty  of  the  laurels  is 
quite  common,  it  seems  to  be  little  known.  It  is  peculiar  in  being  the  only 
one  of  the  family  that  sheds  its  leaves  during  the  winter.  They  are  fine  and 
graceful  and  have  a  less  stiff  look  than  many  others.  The  flower's  charm 
lies  in  the  deep  magenta  ring  which  encircles  the  base  of  the  delicate 
petals. 

The  genus  of  Kalmia  is  an  interesting  one  and  was  so  named  by  Lin- 
naeus, in  honour  of  his  pupil,  Peter  Kalm,  who  travelled  in  America  and 
later  published  an  account  of  his  search  for  flowers.  As  its  members  cover 
the  hillsides  with  delicate  bloom  against  a  background  of  dark  and  lustrous 
leaves,  or  grow  in  clusters  through  swamps  reflected  by  the  water,  their 
wondrous  beauty  must  appeal  more  to  the  sentiment  than  can  possibly  their 
peculiarities  to  the  scientist.  It  is  true  that  in  construction  their  flowers  are 
most  cleverly  arranged  to  the  end  that  they  may  be  fertilized  by  insects. 
Their  thread-like  filaments  are  curved  downward  and  the  anthers  held  in 
the  corolla's  pouches  as  ingeniously  as  ever  trap  was  set.  When  the  insect 
alights  and  touches  with  his  leg  one  of  these  little  arches,  up  flies  the  an- 
thers and  discharges  from  its  pores  the  pollen.  Then  as  the  bee  goes  off  to 
sip  nectar  from  another  flower  he  deposits  on  the  sticky  surface  of  the 
erect  stigma  these  little  golden  vitalizing  grains.  And  his  just  work  is 
done.  After  all,  however,  we  remember  as  Ruskin  has  pointed  out  that 
"  the  reason  for  seeds  is  that  flowers  may  be ;  not  the  reason  of  flowers  that 
seeds  may  be." 

K.  hirsiita,  hairy  laurel  {Plate  CXXVT),  prefers  not  the  cool  barren  hill- 
sides for  its  home,  but  spreads  its  deep  rose-tinted  bloom  in  the  damp,  sandy 
soil  of  pine  barrens.  It  is  a  low  shrub  with  ascending,  hairy  branches  and 
usually  but  one  or  a  few  flowers  grow  from  the  axils,  of  oblong  or  lanceo- 
late hirsute  leaves. 


PLATE   CXXV.     WICKY.     k\iliiua  ciiucaLi 
(387) 


PLATE  CXXVI.     HAIRY  LAUREL.     Kalmia  hirsuta. 
(388) 


THE  HEATH   FAMH^Y.  389 

K.  latifbUa,  mountain  laurel,  calico  bush,  spoonwort  or  ivy — the  latter 
name  being  in  most  common  use  by  the  mountain  people — our  most  general 
and  well-known  species  of  laurel,  grows  in  the  south  through  sandy  or 
rocky  soil.  .  During  the  winter  low  bushes  of  it  often  irregular  and  scraggly 
in  outline  thrust  themselves  to  the  very  edges  of  wooded  roadsides,  when 
their  elliptical,  bright  green  leaves  are  perhaps  the  only  bits  of  colour  in 
sight,  unless  perhaps  a  low  rosette  of  the  great  mullein's  leaves  are  near  by. 

K.  angustifblia,  lambkill,  wicky  or  sheep-laurel,  a  charming  one  of  the 
laurels,  is  known  by  its  oblong,  blunt  leaves  and  deep  crimson,  almost 
purplish  flowers  which  are  rather  small  and  borne  usually  in  great  numbers. 
It  spreads  itself  over  barren  hillsides  as  well  as  inhabits  swamps  and  moist 
places,  being  in  early  June  a  truly  enchanting  sight.  The  laurels  have  a 
rather  bad  reputation  in  one  way,  especially  lambkill,  as  they  are  renowned 
for  being  poisonous  to  stock  that  eat  of  their  young  growth  in  early  spring. 
Water  distilled  from  the  leaves  contains  deadly  properties  ;  even  honey  made 
from  the  flowers  according  to  some  writers  should  be  most  assiduously 
avoided.  The  Indians,  it  is  said,  knew  of  this  poisonous  element  in  them 
and  held  it  in  reserve  for  committing  suicide  or  wreaking  vengeance  on  their 
enemies. 

CATESBY'5  LEUCOTHOE.     DOG  HOBBLE.    {Plate  CXX  VII) 
Leucdthoe  CatesbccL 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

lU-atk.  Creamy  ivhite.  Fragrant.  Georgia  to  Virginia.  Afril-Juue. 

Flowers:  growing  thickly  in  upright  or  slightly  ])en(lulous,  axillary  racemes  and 
bracted  at  the  bases  of  their  pedicels.  Calyx  :  five  divided.  Corolla :  cylindric, 
with  five  points  and  contracted  at  the  throat.  Stamens:  ten.  Pistil:  one. 
Capsule:  depressed-globose,  five-lobed  and  five-valved  containing  numerous, 
minute  seeds.  Leaves:  ovate-lanceolate;  petioled;  tapering  towards  the  ape.x; 
finely  serrate  and  bristle-tipped  nearly  all  around;  bright  green  and  lustrous; 
lighter  below;  evergreen.  A  shrub,  three  to  six  feet  high  with  highly  coloured, 
glabrous  twigs. 

"  Many  a  poor  dog  has  heard  his  bones  crackle  when  caught  in  the 
meshes  of  this  bush,"  said  an  old  hunter,  and  thus  he  implied  an  oft  recur- 
ring tragedy.  For  the  shrub's  interwoven,  thick  growth  makes  it  at  times 
impossible  for  a  dog  to  pass  through,  while  the  bear,  of  which  he  is  on  the 
track,  seeing  this,  turns  about  and  carries  the  war  into  the  enemies'  camp. 
With  his  stronger  force  he  can  naturally  grapple  with  the  plant  better  than 
the  dog.  The  mountain  people  also  call  it  "poison  hemlock  "  knowing  that 
it  is  poisonous  to  both  cattle  and  sheep,  although  in  general  the  instinct  of 
these  creatures  teaches  them  to  leave  it  alone.  Rut  when  they  have  been 
tied  up  for  some  time  they  become  reckless  of  such  warnings  and  nibble  at 


I 


PLATE  CXXVII.     CATESBY'S  LEUCOTHOE.     Leucothoe  Cateshcvi. 
(390) 


THE  HEATH  FAMILY.  391 

it,  or  in  fact  almost  anything  else,  whenever  they  get  the  chance.  Mr. 
Boynton,  of  Biltmore,  proved  that  this  country  lore  concerning  it  was  well 
grounded  ;  for  once  a  wilful  pair  of  oxen  that  was  being  driven  used  every 
opportunity  to  snatch  at  it  and  were  finally  very  sick. 

It  grows  only  through  the  mountains  and  along  cool  stream  borders,  and 
in  the  winter  especially  is  most  beautiful.  The  flovvcr-buds  which  were 
developed  in  the  autumn  have  by  this  time  turned  a  deep  red  and  well 
match  the  leaves  of  the  upper  stem.  Those  below  remain  green  and  thus 
form  a  most  charming  contrast  in  colour.  At  Christmas  it  is  gathered  for 
the  decoration  of  houses;  in  fact  the  mountaineers  pull  it  in  great  quantities 
and  take  it  to  the  towns  where  for  this  purpose  it  is  sold. 

MOUNTAIN  LEUCOTHOE.     {Plate  CXXIV/I.) 
Lciicothoc  rcciirva, 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Heath.  W'liite.  Siucet,  like  honey.  Virginia  to  Alabavta.  Aprils  May. 

Flmvers  :  growing  loosely  in  long,  recurved  and  one-sided  racemes  and  appear- 
ing mainly  before  the  leaves.  Calyx:  small,  five-parted  and  having  two  small, 
pointed  bracts  at  its  base.  Co7-olla  ;  campanulate,  or  cylindrical  with  five  small 
points.  Capsule  :  depressed  at  both  ends  and  from  which  the  style  jirotrudes  ;  five- 
valved.  Leaves  :  oval  or  oblong  ;  pointed  at  both  ends  or  rounded  at  the  base ; 
finely  serrate ;  bright  green  with  lighter  coloured  and  pubescent  veins;  thin; 
deciduous.  A  branching  shrub,  two  to  ten  feet  high  with  highly  coloured 
twigs. 

It  was  Buckley  who  discovered  this  leucothoe  as  it  grew  near  Paint  Rock 
in  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina.  Often  it  is  found  bordering  small 
mountain  streams,  but  usually  occurs  on  higher  ground  and  by  its  one-sided 
racemes,  its  deciduous  leaves  and  manner  of  growth  can  at  once  be  distin- 
guished from  Leucothoe  Catesbaii.  Again  it  can  be  separated  from 
Leucothoe  racemosa,  a  species  of  swampy  places  chiefly  along  the  coastal 
plain,  because  its  anther  cells  have  but  one  awn  instead  of  two. 

In  the  autumn  the  foliage  of  the  mountain  leucothoe  turns  to  most  bril- 
liant and  beautiful  colours  varying  from  red  to  bronze,  but  it  does  not  last 
over  the  winter.  For  this,  the  gayety  of  their  late  colouring,  their  rich 
toned  stems  and  waxy,  sweet  little  flowers  the  genus  is  one  most  desirable 
in  cultivation. 

L.  acuminata,  pipe-wood,  titi,  inhabits  the  swamp  margins  from  east- 
ern Florida  to  the  Carolinas.  Its  lanceolate,  entire  leaves  tapering  10  along 
point  at  the  apex  are  one  of  its  distinctive  traits.  This  species,  on  account 
of  its  long  hollow  stems,  furnishes  many  people  an  industry,  in  collecting 
them  for  pipes. 

L.  axillaris,  downy  leucothoe,  has  woolly  stems  at  least  when  young  and 


PLATE  CXXVIII.     MOUNTAIN   LEUCOTHOE.     Leucoihoe  rectirva. 
(392; 


THE  HEATH   FAMILY.  393 

is  further  known  by  the  shortness  of  its  very  dense  axillary  racemes.  As 
early  as  February  and  March  it  comes  into  bloom  in  the  lower  districts  and 
is  then  the  freshest,  prettiest  sight  seen  along  the  stream's  bank  or  through 
sandy  swamps.  The  downy  leucothoe  is  otherwise  much  like  Catesby's 
leucothoe. 

MOUNTAIN  FETTER=BUSH. 

Picris  Jloribi'inda. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Heath. 

Uhite. 

Scenthss. 

Georgia  to  I  'irginia. 

.///-//.  May. 

Flowers:  drooping;  growing  densely  in  terminal  hirsute  racemes  and  having 
pointed  bracts  at  the  bases  of  the  pedicels.  Calyx :  deeply  five-parted.  Corolla: 
urn-shaped,  with  five  short  teeth.  Stamens:  ten.  Capsule :  globose;  five-vaived, 
and  containing  many  seeds.  Lea7'es :  ovate-lanceolate;  finely  serrate;  ciliate 
when  young,  becoming  glabrous;  thick  ;  bright  green  and  glossy;  evergreen.  A 
branching  shrub,  two  to  ten  feet  high  with  copper-coloured,  leafy  and   hairy  twigs. 

It  is  only  through  the  mountainous  parts  of  its  restricted  range  that  this 
most  exquisite  of  the  fetter-bushes  is  found,  and  there  it  usually  secludes 
well  itself  near  the  summits  of  the  highest  peaks.  It  is  never  in  its  wild 
state  very  common.  Early  in  the  spring  it  is  most  lovely  when  fairly 
loaded  with  innumerable  pure,  white  flowers.  Its  charm  at  all  times  more- 
over is  heightened  by  being  an  evergreen. 

In  cultivation  it  is  regarded  as  of  inestimable  value  for  it  becomes  quite 
hardy  and  indifferent  to  soil  and  exposure. 

P.phillyreifbliay  a  low  spreading  fetter-bush,  grows  only  in  the  wet  pine 
barrens  near  the  coast  of  western  Florida.  Its  branches  are  smooth  and 
grey  and  the  leaves  evergreen.  In  axillary  racemes  from  four  to  twelve 
flowers  are  produced  and  often  as  early  as  January  they  begin  to  show 
their  impatience  to  bloom. 

P.  7iitida,  fetter-bush,  throws  out  its  small  flowers  in  axillary  umbels, 
wherein  like  little  inverted  urns,  contracted  at  the  throat,  they  sparkle  either 
faintly  red  or  pure  white.  And  most  sweetly  are  they  scented.  The 
branches  appear  sharply  angled  and  although  glabrous  throughout  are  often 
covered,  as  the  undersides  of  the  entire  leaves,  with  fine  black  dots.  In 
sw^amps  or  wet  woods  it  grows  from  Florida  to  North  Carolina  and  early  in 
April  is  abundantly  laden  with  bloom. 

P.  Mariana,  stagger-bush,  is  very  beautiful  but  differs  from  those  of  the 
genus  that  have  been  mentioned  in  shedding  its  leaves  during  the  winter. 
Its  flowers  which  are  unusually  large  come  forth  abundantly  in  umbels  at 
the  sides  of  quite  leafless  spurs  and  produce  something  the  same  effect  as 
many  sprays  of  bloom  represented  by  Japanese  art.     In  fruit  the  little  pedi- 


394  THE  HEATH  FAMILY. 

eels  all  curve  upward.  As  a  low  shrub  it  occurs  rather  generally  from 
Florida  northward  to  Rhode  Island.  It  is  one  more  of  the  lovely  heath 
family  known  as  a  poisonous  plant. 

Zenobia  cassmefdh'a. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

heath.  White ^  Scentless.  Florida  to  North  Carolina.  May. 

Flowers:  growing  along  the  branches  in  umbel-like  clusters.  Calyx-lobes : 
ovate;  short;  persistent.  6  wW/a.-  bell-shaped;  five-toothed.  Ca/>sule  :  glohosG, 
depressed  at  the  top  and  projecting  the  style;  five-celled,  with  conspicuous  ribs. 
Leaves:  alternate  ;  oblong,  or  elliptical;  short  petioled;  pointed  or  obtuse  at  the 
apex;  serrate;  paler  below  than  above,  glabrous,  deciduous.  A  branching  shrub 
three  to  four  feet  high  ;  smooth  throughout. 

One  long  chain  of  beauty  with  many  diverse  links  seems  to  be  spread  be- 
fore us  by  the  heath  family.  From  the  quaint  trailing  arbutus  to  the  great 
rose  bay,  Rhododendron  maximum,  there  is  a  forcible  contrast,  while  the 
fetter-bushes  and  leucothoes  with  their  waxy  urn-shaped  flowers  are  indeed 
no  more  beautiful  than  the  larger,  bell-shaped  ones  of  the  Zenobia  which 
come  forth  on  almost  leafless  shoots.  In  swamps  or  low  barrens  it  grows 
and  was  formerly  called  Andromeda  speciosa,  it  being  so  very  similar  to 
members  of  that  genus. 

DWARF  CASSANDRA.     LEATHER=LEAF. 

ChaincEddphne  calyciildta. 

FAMILY  COLOUR     '  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Heath.  White.  Scentless.  Georgia^  ?iorthtuard.  April-June. 

Flowers:  small,  solitary  and  growing  closely  in  the  axils  of  the  upper  leaves 
which  form  terminal  leafy  racemes.  Calyx  :  persistent,  with  five  sepals  and  hav- 
ing two  close  bracts  at  its  base.  Corolla:  cylindrical ;  five-toothed.  Stamens  ; 
ten.  Pistil:  one.  Capsule;  rounded;  depressed,  five-celled  and  projecting  the 
style.  Leaves:  alternate,  rather  small,  oblong,  or  obovate,  bluntly  pointed,  or 
rounded  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base;  entire  or  obscurely  serrate  ;  thick; 
scurzy  underneath  even  in  age;  evergreen.  A  shrub  two  to  four  feet  high,  branch- 
ing. 

While  stiff  and  rather  small,  the  dwarf  Cassandra  is  still  one  of  the  very 
pretty  inhabitants  of  luxuriant  swamps  and  moist,  shady  places.  It  could,  in 
fact,  be  nothing  else  when  in  wand-like  sprays  hang  little  nodding  flowers, 
each  guarded  by  a  leaf.  In  its  most  southern  home  they  sometimes  venture 
to  blow  as  early  as  March,  but  in  the  far  north  to  where  its  range  extends 
they  often  delay  until  July. 

The  name  bestowed  upon  this  monotypic  genus,  from  the  Greek,  signi- 
fies ground  or  low  Daphne.  Indeed, among  the  heaths  there  is  quite  a  levee 
of  goddesses  and  muses.  We  have  the  genus  Andromeda, named  by  Lin- 
nseus  in  commemoration  of  the  fair  maid  rescued  by  Perseus.     Another  for 


THE  HEATH  FAMILY. 


395 


Cassiope,    her  mother  ;   Phyllodoce  recalls   one   of    tiic  sca-nymphs,    and 
Pieris  one  of  the  muses. 

SOURWOOD.     SORREL-TREE. 

O.xydcndriini  arbor  cum . 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Ucaih. 

White. 

Like  lioney. 

Florida  a nd  A  laba  ma 
J\'nnsylvanta. 

:  to 

Jutujuly. 

Floivers  :  growing  one-sided  in  long  terminal  panicled  racemes  at  the  ends  of 
leafy  shoots.  Calyx:  persistent;  five-toothed.  Corolla:  urn-shaped,  tapering 
towards  the  five-toothed  summit;  pubescent.  Stamens:  ten;  included.  Pistil: 
one.  Capsules:  pyramidal  ;  five-valved.  Leaves:  alternate,  with  slender  mostly 
reddish  petioles;  oblong,  pointed  at  the  apex,  and  pointed  or  rounded  at  the  base; 
finely  serrate;  lustrous  and  at  maturity  glabrous;  sour  like  sorrel.  Bark:  grey, 
tinted  with  red;  deeply  furrowed.     A  shrub  or  tree  from  ten  to  sixty  feet  high. 

What  the  linden  tree  is  to  the  honey  bees  of  Wisconsin,  so  is  the  sourwood 
to  those  that  seek  their  Hvelihood  through  the  mountainous  regions  of  the 
south.  Or  to  this  woodland  rover  it  takes  the  place  of  clover  blossoms  as 
it  spreads  its  plume-like,  drooping  sprays  of  exquisite  little  flowers  through 
shady  woods  and  by-ways  where  it  would  be  much  too  dark  for  clover  to 
grow. 

Very  early  in  the  autumn,  almost  as  soon  as  those  of  the  black  gum,  the 
leaves  of  the  sourwood  turn  to  a  peculiar  pinky  shade  of  red,  wholly  their 
own.  Then  also  being  abundantly  laden  with  soft  pale  green  capsules  the 
trees  are  very  beautiful  and  quite  distinctive  from  all  other  verdure. 

Sometimes  when  the  country  people  have  exhausted  their  supply  of  sumac 
leaves  they  seek  those  of  the  sourwood  to  dye  their  wool  black,  and  to 
decorate  their  homes. 

TRAILING  ARBUTUS.    GROUND  LAUREL.     flAYFLOWER. 

Epig^a  rephis. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Heath. 

Wh it e  and p in k . 

Fragrant. 

Florida  northward 
to  New  England. 

Mareh-May. 

Flotoers  :  growing  in  short,  terminal  and  bracted  clusters.  Calyx  :  of  five  im- 
bricated sepals.  Corolla  :  tubular;  salver-shaped  ;  five-lobed.  Stamens  :  ten,  with 
oblong  anthers  opening  lengthwise.  Capsitle :  globose,  dej^ressed,  five-celled. 
Leaves  :  alternate  with  hairy  petioles,  oval,  rounded  or  minutely  pointed  at  the  apex 
and  cordate  or  rounded  at  the  base  ;  entire  ;  thick  ;  evergreen.  Stems  :  six  to 
twelve  inches  long  ;  prostrate  and  covered  with  hispid,  reddish  hairs. 

After  we  have  been  to  the  woods  and  brought  home  the  brave  little 
hepaticas  of  earliest  spring,  or  blue  eyes  as  lately  I  heard  them  called,  we 
wait  awhile  and  then  start  out  to  gather  the  trailing  arbutus.     For  its  time 


396  THE  HEATH  FAMILY. 

of  blossoming  will  then  have  come,  and  snugly  lying  on  the  ground  its  elfin 
pink  and  white  face,  hidden  under  the  grim  and  rusty  leaves  which  have 
lasted  over  the  winter,  will  smile  upon  us.  On  sloping  banks  that  border  the 
woods  where  the  sun  warms  the  ground  it  sometimes  can  be  found  in  blow 
as  early  as  March,  but  more  often  we  must  wait  until  April  before  much  of 
a  bunch  can  be  gathered. 

Only  in  its  own  wooded  home  will  it  bloom.  We  may  carry  home  and 
place  in  water  sprays  of  it  so  far  advanced  that  little  glints  of  white  can  be 
seen  in  the  bud's  openings,  but  gradually  they  will  droop  and  fade  instead 
of  blowing  out  more  fully.  In  New  England  where  it  is  regarded  with 
much  sentiment,  having  been  the  first  flower  to  greet  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  it 
is  generally  called  Mayflower.  But  the  flower  celebrated  through  English 
literature  and  history  under  that  name  is  a  hawthorn. 


THE  HUCKLEBERRY  FAHILY. 

Vacciniacece, 

Including  in  our  species  erect  or  prostrate  shrubs  {rarely  small  trees') 
with  simple,  alternate  leaves  and  sfnall  perfect  gamopetalous  flowers 
which  are  either  solitary  or  clustered.     Fruit :  a  berry  or  drupe. 

BUCKBERRY.    BEAR  HUCKLEBERRY.     {Plate  CXXIX.) 
Gayliissdcia  urshia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Hucklehciry.      Yellow  or  pinkish  Scentless.      Mountains  of  North  May  ^  June  ^ 

■white.  and  South  Carolina.  Fruit:  July. 

/7(?7£;<?rj-.- growing  sparingly  in  racemes  on  slender,  reddish  pedicels.  Calyx- 
tube:  rounded,  persistent,  with  five  teeth.  CtvWAi;  /  bell-shaped.  Sldfncns :  ten. 
Pistil :  one.  Fruit :  a  berry-like  black  drupe  without  bloom.  Leaves  :  lanceolate- 
obovate  or  oblong  ;  acute  at  both  ends  or  sometimes  rounded  at  the  base;  entire  ; 
very  thin  and  covered  along  the  veins  with  a  silky  tomentum  often  appearing 
rusty.     A  shrub  two  to  three  feet  high,  branching. 

About  the  juicy,  acrid  taste  of  the  buckberry's  fruit  there  seems  to  be 
some  diversity  of  opinion.  Many  regard  it  as  more  delicious  than  that  of 
any  other  of  the  genus,  having  as  it  was  expressed  to  me,  "  a  real  good 
smack."  Again  it  is  thought  to  be  a  trifle  "  puckery."  This  latter  impres- 
sion, however,  usually  wears  off  when  once  enough  of  the  berries  have  been 
eaten.  About  Highlands  in  western  North  Carolina  where  the  plant  is  very 
common  I  found  it  no  hardship  to  stand  in  the  broiling  sun  to  pick  and  eat 


PLATE  CXXiX.     BUCKBERRY.     G.iyluss.ici.i  insiiu, 
(397) 


398  THE  HUCKLEBERRY  FAMILY. 

them  and  moreover,  just  as  fast  as  I  could.  The  HtUe  shrubs  were  then 
particularly  attractive  as  the  unripe  berries  were  a  brilliant  red  and  mingled 
pleasingly  with  those  of  dead  black  ripeness.  And  every  one  of  the  bushes 
was  fairly  loaded  with  them.  Indeed  in  this  neighbourhood  thousands  of 
qifarts  of  the  berries  are  made  every  year  into  jellies  and  jams.  They 
require  little  sugar  for  doing  up,  and  so  wonderful  are  the  crops  that  four 
brimful  quarts  sell  for  only  about  ten  cents. 

G.frondbsa,  dangle-berry,  or  blue  tangle,  inhabits  mostly  low  ground 
from  Florida  and  Louisiana  northward  to  New  England.  When  in  bloom, 
or  showing  its  small,  reddish  tinted  corolla,  its  oval  or  obovate  leaves  are 
quite  glaucous  underneath,  and  always  remain  rather  pale.  The  blue  ber- 
ries also  are  covered  with  a  white  bloom  turning  them  in  some  lights  to 
shades  of  grey  which  closely  match  the  twigs, 

G.  dumosa,  bush  huckleberry,  grows  sometimes  rather  close  to  the 
ground,  although  usually  its  branches  ascend  and  it  has  the  appearance  of 
a  spreading  and  dwarfed  bush.  Of  the  particularly  graceful  little  flowers 
the  corolla  is  white,  tinted  with  deep  pink  or  red,  and  the  bracts  at  the 
bases  of  the  pedicels  are  leaf-like  and  persistent.  The  small  berry  is  black 
and  quite  without  a  bloom.  On  moist  mountain  slopes  or  in  swampy  places 
it  is  often  very  common, 

G.  resmbsa,  high-bush  huckleberry,  thrives  best  on  dry  hillsides.  It  is 
Considerably  branched,  and  on  nearly  all  its  parts  are  minute,  resinous 
globules.  But  a  few  rather  small  and  reddish  flowers  grow  in  the  one- 
sided racemes,  while  the  bracts  at  their  pedicels'  bases  are  small  and  fall 
early.     Its  berries  are  smooth  and  black. 

HAIRY  HUCKLEBERRY.     {Plate  CXXX.) 
Vacci7iiuin  hirsutiim. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Huckleberry. 

Pure  white. 

Scentless. 

North    Carolina  and 
Tennessee. 

May,  June. 
Fruit:  July,  A  ugust. 

Flowers :  growing  closely  in  short  racemes.  Calyx-tiibe :  short,  rounded,  with 
five  teeth,  very  hairy.  Corolla  ;  bell-shaped,  slightly  contracted  at  the  apex,  with 
five  very  short  teeth.  Stamens  :  ten.  Pistil :  one,  hairy.  Fruit :  a  dark  blue  berry 
covered  with  hairs.  Leaves :  growing  thickly  on  the  branches  and  averaging 
about  one  and  one-fourth  inches  long  ;  entire  ;  ovate  or  oblong,  usually  acute  at 
both  ends  ;  thin  and  covered  with  a  soft,  white  tomentum.  A  low  shrub,  one  to 
two  feet  high.  Stems  :  somewhat  angular,  deep  reddish  or  greenish  brown  and 
covered  with  stout  hairs. 

After  Professor  Sargent  and  Mr,  Stiles  had  left  the  Keowee  River,  near 
where  the  former  had  rediscovered  shortia,  they  continued  on  their  way  in 
search  of  a  blueberry  recorded  to  have  been  found  in  the  mountains  of 


PLATE   CXXX.     HAIRY  HUCKLEBERRY,     yacciniiim  hirsiitum. 
(399) 


400  THE  HUCKLEBERRY  FAMILY. 

Cherokee  County,  fifty  years  earlier  by  Mr.  S.  B,  Buckley.  To  the  inhabi- 
tants of  this  region  they  proclaimed  that  they  were  looking  for  "  a  hairy 
huckleberry  ;  "  as  the  distinctive  characteristic  of  the  plant  is  that  hardly 
one  of  its  growing  parts  can  be  examined  which  has  not  a  fine  coating  of 
hairs.  Finally  they  offered  a  reward  of  five  dollars  for  such  an  one,  and  the 
plan  worked  like  a  charm.  It  set  the  country  boys  seeking  huckleberries 
with  wonderful  energy.  They  even  forgot  their  appetites.  Not  until  the 
following  summer,  however,  did  Professor  Sargent  receive  from  Mr.  W.  F. 
Manney  of  Robbinsville  a  box  of  Vaccinium  fruit  covered  with  the  desired 
short,  white  hairs.  Later  a  supply  of  seedlings  and  grafts  was  sent  to  the 
Arboretum.  Although  still  regarded  as  a  rarity  the  shrub  is  now  being  re- 
ported from  a  number  of  points. 

V.  pallidum,  pale  or  mountain  blueberry,  is  famed  for  its  large  blue 
fruit,  the  most  deliciously  flavoured  of  any  of  the  genus.  Through  the  moun- 
tainous parts  of  the  south  from  Virginia  to  South  Carolina,  it  prefers  to  grow. 
On  the  trail  up  Grandfather  Mountain  I  saw  it  occurring  sparingly  most  of 
the  way.  But  on  the  rocky  summit  where  the  strong  sun  of  mid-day  poured 
down  it  spread  itself  over  the  ground  in  great  abundance,  fairly  disputing  in 
spots  the  possession  of  that  high  place  with  the  sand  myrtle.  It  was  then 
early  in  the  autumn,  and  while  much  verdure  was  still  seen  its  thin  leaves 
had  already  turned  to  deep  red.  Many  of  them  were  sharply  serrulate, 
others  only  minutely  so,  and  again  they  looked  to  be  entire  and  ciliate. 

V.  arbor eiun,  farkleberry,  always  readily  known  through  its  habit  of 
sometimes  becoming  a  small  tree,  often  twenty  feet,  and  rarely  thirty 
feet,  tall,  and  because  it  grows  best  in  dry  mostly  sandy  soil  of  open  woods. 
Its  bell-shaped  flowers,  in  leafy  racemes,  are  produced  most  abundantly, 
and  not  until  the  shiny,  oval  leaves  have  dropped  in  the  winter  do  the  black 
berries  ripen.     They  are  not  at  all  edible. 

V.  stainbieum,  deerberry  or  squaw  huckleberry,  which  in  dry  woods  be- 
comes as  high  as  five  feet,  shows  the  peculiarity  of  having  its  hairy  stamens 
exserted  beyond  its  bell-shaped,  slightly  spreading  corolla.  These  flowers, 
moreover,  are  abundantly  borne  in  leafy  racemes,  and  hang  from  thread- 
like pedicels.  The  berry  is  mostly  green,  or  yellow,  and  even  when  fully  ripe 
is  hardly  fit  to  eat. 

V.  crassifbliiiin  shows  an  extreme  of  the  genus  in  being  of  procumbent 
habit,  and  in  bearing  many  small  oval  leaves,  thick  and  shiny.  The  white,  or 
rose  coloured,  corolla  also  is  small  and  of  a  rounded  bell  shape.  Usually  the 
plant  inhabits  sandy  soil  near  the  coast,  or  else  is  found  in  the  pme- 
barrens. 

V.  7iitidum,  a  close-growing,  compact  little  thing,  seldom  over  two 
feet,  bears  an  abundance  of  very  small   and  evergreen   foliage.     Its  home 


ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Sccntitss. 

Georgia  to  I'ir^itiia 

J u, I.-.  July. 

in  the  mountains. 

Fruit :  August. 

THE  IIUCKLEP.KRRV  FAMILY.  401 

is  in  the  low  pine-barrens  of  Florida  and   (Georgia  where  as  early  as   March 
it  opens  its  ovoid  corolla. 

V.  Myrstnites  is  rather  similar  to  Vaccinium  nitidum  but  shows  occa- 
sionally bristly,  serrulate  margins  about  its  small,  obovate,  or  lanceolate, 
more  veiny  leaves.  It  also  inhabits  sandy  barrens,  growing  usually  from 
six  to  eighteen  inches  high, 

SOUTHERN  nOUNTAIN  CRANBERRY. 

Oxycik-ciis  cryt/irociupiis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR 

Hu.klfbcrry.         Pale  rose: 

Fhru'crs  :  small,  nodding  from  long,  slender  pedicels  and  growing  singly  along 
tlie  branches  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves.  Calyx :  small,  with  four  distinct  points. 
6'(w//a  :  cylindric  ;  deeply  four-parted,  the  divisions  recurved.  6'A/;//<v/j- ;  eight. 
Pistil  :  one.  Fruit:  a  globose,  dark  red  berry,  insipid  to  the  taste.  Leaves  :  ob- 
long or  ovate-lanceolate,  i)()inted  at  both  ends,  or  rounded  or  cordate  at  the  base  ; 
thin  ;  finely  serrate,  the  teeth  projecting  bristles.  A  shrub,  one  to  si.\  feet  high 
with  reddish  or  grey,  often  pubescent,  twigs. 

Regarding  the  many  shrubs  that  spread  themselves  over  the  hillsides  we 
cannot  doubt  that  in  Nature's  great  household  they  serve  a  variety  of  uses, 
and  it  would  seem  that  we,  coming  in  for  our  share  of  all  benefits,  should 
learn  to  know  them  better.  To  those  that  walk  little  in  the  woods  it  is 
astonishing,  in  fact  alarming,  to  be  with  one  who  nibbles  first  at  this  and  then 
at  that  plant  and  in  the  full  consciousness  that  he  is  simply  av^ailing  himself 
of  a  generously  spread  meal.  He  dreads  not  being  poisoned,  for  he  knows 
the  qualities  and  traits  of  each  one.  The  bright  or  dark  red  berries  of  this 
cranberry  are  knowingly  passed  by.  They  in  their  mountain  home  are 
pretty  to  look  at,  but  most  insipid  to  the  taste.  Further  along  there  may 
be  something  better.  The  leaves  of  the  shrub  when  it  is  in  fruit  are  at- 
tractive, being  a  more  vivid,  bright  green  than  when  it  is  showing  its  delicate 
bloom.     They  then  are  pale,  often  with  a  copper-like,  sunny  tint. 


THE  DIAPEN5IA  FAMILY. 

Diapcjisiaccfc. 

In  our  range  including  three  genera  of  tufted  or  scapose  herbs  7C'ith 
basal  or  alternate.,  simple  leaves  and  which  bear  perfect,  regular  foicers, 
cither  gajnopetalous,  or  polypetalous,  and  having  their  parts  in  fives. 


402  THE  DIAPENSIA  FAMILY. 

GALAX.     GALAXY.     C0LT'5=F00T. 

BEETLE=WEED.     (Plate  CXXXII.) 

Galax  aphjflla. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Diapensia.  Cream-ivkite.  Scentless.  Georgia  to  Virginia.  May.,  June. 

Floioers:  small  ;  growing  in  a  dense,  spike-like  raceme  on  a  scape  from  twelve 
to  eighteen  inches  high  and  having  reddish,  scale-like  bracts  at  its  base.  Calyx  : 
five-|)arted.  Corolla:  with  five  oblong  petals.  Sta7nen-tiibe :  ten-lobed  at  the 
summit,  the  divisions  alternate  with  the  petals,  anther-bearing,  the  others  petaloid 
and  sterile.  Stigma  :  three-lobed.  Capsule :  ovoid  ;  erect.  Leaves  :  sometimes 
four  inches  in  diameter,  arising  with  slender  petioles  from  the  base  ;  orbicular  ; 
deeply  cordate,  irregularly  serrate  or  crenate,  bright  green  and  lustrous  and  turn- 
ing in  the  late  season  to  rich  shades  of  maroon  ;  evergreen.  Roots  :  highly  col- 
oured ;  fibrous. 

As  we  see  the  galax  blossoms  pluming  themselves  along  some  shaded 
bank,  we  feel  that  they  are  a  truly  splendid  assemblage,  a  veritable  milky  way; 
and,  since  their  name  suggests  it,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  connect  their  spark- 
ling sylph-like  forms  with  some  of  the  mysterious  wonder  we  accord  to  the 
stars,  blink-blinking  against  their  sombre  background.  It  is,  however,  with 
the  leaves  that  our  thoughts  linger  longest.  Through  the  plant's  range  they 
seem  to  be  everywhere.  In  the  mountainous  parts  of  North  Carolina  I  saw 
them  hugging  closely  the  ground  in  patches  spreading  over  acres.  By  the 
side  of  woodland  paths  they  raised  themselves  ;  shone  from  roadside  banks 
and  peeped  from  under  rocks.  Early  in  May  they  are  of  an  exquisite  yel- 
low-green. In  June  more  solidly  green  ;  but  later  in  the  season,  when  dingy 
little  capsules  have  replaced  the  soft  blossoms,  they  turn  to  rosy  pink,  or 
show  rich  tones  of  wine-colour.  To  many  that  have  never  seen  the  blossoms 
these  leaves  are  familiar,  for  the  mountain  people  pick  them  by  the  million, 
and  tie  them  into  little  bunches  of  a  hundred  each  which  later  are  sent  to 
florists  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

It  was  Mrs.  Kibbee,  the  widow  of  a  doctor  who  lost  his  life  in  a  yellow 
fever  panic  while  experimenting  with  a  cot  he  had  invented  for  the  relief  of 
patients,  who  first  realised  their  decorative  value  and  sent  them  out  from 
North  Carolina.  For  every  bunch  of  a  hundred  leaves  she  received  two 
dollars, and  this  revenue  made  up  the  greater  part  of  the  money  with  which 
she  supported  her  children.  Now,  however,  this  is  a  matter  of  history,  for 
the  business  has  passed  into  the  hands  of  many. 

SHORTIA.     LITTLE  COLT'S=FOOT.     (Plale  CXXXI.) 
Short  la  galacifblia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Diapensia.  White.  Scentless.  Mountains  of  North  March.,  April. 

and  South  Carolina. 

Flowers  :  terminal ;  solitary  ;  growing  on  scapes  from  three  to  six  inches  high 
with  scale-like,  lavender  bracts  near  the  flower.     Calyx :  with    five    ovate,   green 


PLATE   CXXXI.      SHORTIA.      Shortia  ^^alaci folia 


COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY  FREDERICK    A     STOKES  COMPANY 
PRINTED   IN   AMERICA 


I 


PLATE  CXXXIl.     GALAX.     GjLjx  jplirllJ. 
(403) 


404  THE  DIAPENSIA  FAMILY. 

sepals.  Corolla  :  with  five  petals  on  the  receptacle  ;  wavy  on  their  edges. 
Stajiiens :  ten  ;  the  five  petaloid  and  sterile  ones  smaller  than  those  that  are  anther- 
bearing  and  fertile.  Pistil:  one.  Leaves:  from  the  base  with  long  petioles  ;  or- 
bicular ;  serrate,  or  crenate;  thin;  smooth,  very  shiny  on  the  upper  surface  and 
turning  in  the  autumn  to  shades  of  copper  and  maroon. 

About  the  sprightly  form  of  shortia  there  clings  a  strange  story.  It  is 
the  plant  that  has  interested  great  men  who  searched  for  it  until  its  haunts 
were  revealed  and  its  beauty  universally  acknowledged.  It  was  the  much 
desired  of  Dr.  Asa  Gray,  and  is  as  indelibly  associated  with  his  memory  as 
is  the  Catawba  rhododendron  with  that  of  Michaux. 

When  Dr.  Gray  was  in  Paris  in  1839  he  observed  in  the  herbarium  of 
the  elder  Michaux  an  unnamed  specimen  of  a  plant.  The  leaves  and  a 
single  fruit  were  all  that  was  preserved  of  it,  and  its  label  stated  simply  that 
it  had  been  collected  in  "  les  hautes  montagnes  de  Carolinie."  Its  power 
to  arouse  Dr.  Gray's  curiosity  was  so  great  that  on  his  return  to  America 
he  hunted  assiduously  for  the  plant  in  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina,  but 
wholly  without  success.  In  fact,  in  an  account  he  gave  after  his  return 
from  these  mountains,  he  said  :  "  We  were  likewise  unsuccessful  in  our 
search  for  a  remarkable  undescribed  plant  with  the  habit  of  pyrola  and  the 
foliage  of  galax  which  was  obtained  by  Michaux  in  the  high  mountains  of 
Carolina.  The  only  specimen  extant  is  among  the  Plantar  incognitas  of 
the  Michauxian  herbarium,  in  fruit  ;  and  we  were  anxious  to  obtain  flower- 
ing specimens  that  we  might  complete  its  history :  as  I  have  long  wished  to 
dedicate  the  plant  to  Professor  Short  of  Kentucky  whose  attainments  and 
eminent  services  in  North  American  botany  are  well  known  and  appreciated 
both  at  home  and  abroad." 

Two  years  after  this,  however.  Dr.  Gray  ventured  to  describe  the  plant 
and  dedicated  it,  as  he  had  wished,  to  Dr.  C.  W.  Short.  In  this  way  it  re- 
ceived its  first  public  recognition.  Henceforth  no  botanist  ever  visited  the 
region  without  searching  for  shortia.  It  was  courted  almost  as  faithfully  as 
was  the  philosopher's  stone.  In  the  meantime,  Dr.  Gray  had  found  among 
a  collection  of  Japanese  plants  a  specimen  almost  identical  with  the  well- 
remembered  one  of  Michaux,  a  coincidence  which  strengthened  his  faith  in 
the  existence  of  the  American  species.  It  was  not,  however,  until  1877  that 
it  was  found,  and  then  quite  accidentally,  by  G.  M.  Hyams,  a  boy  who  knew 
little  about  the  good  luck  that  had  befallen  him.  He  had  picked  it  up  on 
the  banks  of  the  Catawba  river  near  the  town  of  Marion  in  McDowell 
county.  North  Carolina.  Fortunately  the  father  of  this  boy  was  a  pro-fessed 
herbalist  and  through  a  correspondent  finally  learned  the  true  nature  of  the 
plant.  It  had  been  collected  when  in  flower.  With  its  aid,  therefore.  Dr. 
Gray  was  enabled  to  substantiate  his  original  ideas  of  the  genus  and  to  per- 
fect its  description.     But  as  for  its  natural  habitat  he  still  maintained  that 


THE  DIAPENSIA  FAMli.Y.  405 

Michaux  could  not  have  been  so  mistaken  ;  that  the  true  home  of  shortia 
must  be  in  "  les  hautes  montagnes  de  Carolinie."  It  was  quite  possible,  he 
argued,  that  the  point  on  the  Catawba  where  it  had  been  found  was  an 
outlying  haven  to  which  it  might  have  been  washed.  So  with  renewed 
energy  it  was  searched  for  through  the  mountains  until  discouragement 
lagged  the  footsteps  of  the  seekers. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  year  1886  Professor  Sargent  visited  the  moun- 
tainous region  of  North  Carolina  about  the  head  waters  of  the  Keowce 
River,  the  great  eastern  fork  of  the  Savannah,  with  the  object  in  view  of  re- 
discovering Magnolia  cordata.  At  Hog  Back,  a  place  now  called  Sapphire, 
he  was  met  by  Mr.  Frank  Boynton.  One  evening  after  dark  Professor 
Sargent  came  in  with  his  portfolio  and  took  from  it,  among  other  things 
that  he  had  gathered,  a  leaf.  "  What  is  it  ?  "  he  asked.  Mr.  Pjoynton  was 
about  to  answer,  "  It  is  galax  "  ;  but  on  looking  at  the  leaf  more  closely,  he 
said  he  didn't  know.  During  that  evening  the  Professor's  mail  was  brought 
in,  among  the  letters  being  one  from  Dr.  Gray,  which  read  as  follows  : 

September  17,  18S6. 
"  My  dear  Sargent  : 

"  Would  I  were  with  you  !  I  can  only  say  crown  yourself  with 
glory  by  discovering  a  habitat — the  original  habitat  of  shortia — which  we 
will  believe  Michaux  found  near  where  the  Magnolia  cordata  came  from — 
or  in  that  first  expedition. 

"  Yours  ever, 

"  Asa  Gray." 

Mr.  Stiles  the  editor  of  "  Garden  and  Forest  "  who  also  was  present  on  this 
eventful  evening  then  said,  in  a  joking  way  :  "  That's  shortia  you  have  in 
your  hand."  This  proved  to  be  true.  The  leaf  was  shortia.  Professor 
Sargent  had  found  it,  just  ninety-eight  years  after  Michaux's  discoverv, 
probably  near  the  same  spot. 

About  two  weeks  later,  when  this  astonishing  fact  had  been  fully  ascer- 
tained by  Professor  Sargent,  he  sent  word  to  Mr.  Boynton  who,  with  his 
brother,  then  went  back  definitely  to  locate  the  plant.  They  found  it  grow- 
ing near  Bear  Camp  Creek  in  a  rather  limited  quantity,  but  still  enough  for 
them  to  carry  away  a  bag  full  of  specimens  for  distribution. 

In  the  following  spring  Mr.  Harbison  started  out  in  cjuest  of  it.  He  went 
beyond  Bear  Creek  to  the  forks  of  the  rivers.  There  he  saw  it  growing  in 
great  masses,  acres,  in  fact,  which  were  as  thickly  covered  as  clover  fields. 
Wagon-loads  of  it  were  eventually  taken  away  and  still  there  appeared  to 
be  no  diminution  of  its  abundance. 


4o6 


THE  DIAPENSIA  FAMILY. 


So  ended  the  search  for  shortia,  once  deemed  so  rare.  Through  the 
further  efforts  of  Mr.  Harbison  the  plant  is  now  well  known,  and  a  common 
one  in  nursery  catalogues.  In  its  wild  state  it  grows  best  under  the 
shade  of  kalmias  and  rhododendrons. 

For  the  accuracy  of  the  first  part  of  its  history  I  am  indebted  to  "  Garden 
and  Forest ;  "  for  later  developments  and  permission  to  use  Dr.  Gray's  letter 
I  have  to  sincerely  thank  Mr.  Boynton.  In  commemoration  of  the  trip  the 
letter  was  presented  to  him  by  Professor  Sargent. 


Lake  Sapphire 


PYXIE.     FLOWERING  MOSS. 

Pyxidaiithera  barbuldta. 


FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR 

Diapensia.         White  or  pinkish.  Scentless. 


RANGE 

North  Carolina 
to  New  Jersey. 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 

March-July. 


Flozvers  ;  numerous;  terminal;  solitary;  sessile.  Calyx:  with  five  oblong,  cili- 
ate  sepals  and  having  three  bracts  underneath.  Corolla  :  bell-shaped,  five-lobed. 
Stamens:  inserted;  their  anthers  opening  as  the  lid  of  a  tiny  box.  Pistil:  one; 
stigma,  three-lobed.  Leaves:  very  small;  alternate,  linear  or  lanceolate;  sessile; 
entire  and  pubescent  when  young  near  the  base.  A  small  creeping  shrub  with 
ascending,  often  very  leafy  branches. 

Blossoms !  Blossoms !  fairly  Is  this  little  pine-barren  beauty  covering 
itself  with  them  in  answer  to  the  south  wind's  whispering  that  it  shall  hasten 
with  its  bloom.     And  like  a  mat  we  find  its  interwoven  growth  spreading 


THE  DIAPENSIA  FAMILY.  407 

over  the  ground  until  its  progress  is  impeded  perhaps  by  the  trailing 
arbutus.  Two  sweet  companions  that  in  early  spring  unfold  at  the  same 
time  their  flowers. 

Pyxie  is  indeed  a  distinguished  little  plant,  the  one  relative  through  our 
range  of  galax  and  shortia.  Hardly  can  another  family  be  found  with  few 
members  so  individual  and  so  charming. 


THE  PRIMROSE  FAMILY. 

Primiildcece, 

A  group  of  herbs  with  perfect^  7-egiihir  flowers  Jiaviug  gaviopetaloiis 
corollas^  their  parts  in  four  or  five  and  which  bear  simf>le,  opposite, 
alternate,  whorled  or  basal  leaves.     Stame?is:  inserted  on  the  corolla-tube. 

LOOSESTRIFE.     {Plate  CX XX III.) 
Lysimachia  Fraseri. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Primrose. 

Vcllozv. 

Sce>iiiess. 

Alahmiia.    J'lnnessee 
and  North  Carolina. 

J  u)tt\  J  Illy  ■ 
Fruit:  Stptetnlcr. 

Flowers  :  growing  in  the  axils  or  abundandy  in  terminal  panicles.  Cu/yx  :  ]ier- 
sistent  ;  free  from  ovary,  with  five  sharply  pointed  and  ciliate  lobes.  Corolla  :  with 
five  ovate,  lanceolate  lobes.  Capsule  :  g\ohose  ;  membranaceous  and  projecting 
the  slender  style.  Seeds;  several.  Leaves  :  opposite;  narrowly  oblong,  pointed  at 
the  apex  and  tapering  into  a  short  petiole  at  the  base;  entire;  lighter  below  than 
above  and  covered  with  many  dark-coloured  dots.  Stem  :  erect ;  leafy;  glandular- 
pubescent  near  the  summit. 

Again  and  again  we  come  across  the  loosestrifes  during  our  summer  and 
early  autumn  rambles.  And  soon  we  learn  to  associate  with  them  their 
opposite,  or  whorled,  leaves,  always  entire  and  their  upright,  rather  stiff 
manner  of  growth,  and  very  frequently  we  look  for  their  petals  to  be  darkly 
spotted  near  the  bases.  In  personality  the  genus  reminds  us  somewhat  of 
the  St.  John's-wort,  but  we  think  of  the  latter  as  being  usually  freer,  more 
prolific  bloomers.  The  old  and  pretty  legend  concerning  our  present  plants 
is  that  they  loose  strife  ;  that  they  act  as  peace-makers  especially  among 
cattle  that  are  quarrelsome.  Believing  this,  people  in  the  old  country  used 
to  tie  such  a  spray  to  their  yokes  before  starting  out  on  a  long  journey. 

This  one  of  the  group  is  not  common  and  is  very  pretty.  Especially  attrac- 
tive are  its  capsules  with  the  free  calyx  hovering  about  them. 

L.  quadrifblia,  four-leaved,  or  whorled  loosestrife  is  one  of  the  most 
common  species  and  grows  through  light,  dry  soil  in  a  very  precise  and 
regular  way.     About  its  stem  the  lanceolate,  sessile  or  nearly  sessile  leaves 


PLATE   CXXXIII.     LOOSESTRIFE.     Ljsimachia  frascrL 
(40S) 


THE  PRIMROSE  FAMILY.  409 

are  whorled  at  regular  intervals,  while  the  solitary  flowers  with  darkly 
streaked  corollas  are  produced  from  their  axils  on  thread-like  pedicels, 

L.  terrestris,  bulb-bearing  loosestrife,  also  a  common  plant,  but  one  which 
prefers  to  grow  in  moist  meadows,  or  swamps,  sends  forth  in  a  terminal 
raceme  a  light,  graceful  spray  of  deep  yellow  flowers,  their  corolla  being 
marked  with  brownish  red.  The  branching  stem  throws  out  many  opposite 
or  very  rarely  alternate  leaves  which  are  flnely  covered  underneath  with 
dark  spots.  Sometimes  this  one  of  the  loosestrifes  slunvs  the  peculiarity 
of  bearing  from  the  axils  tiny  elongated  bulblets  instead  of  flowers.  Lin- 
niiius  even  was  deceived  by  them  and  mistook  the  plant  when  in  this  con- 
dition for  an  erect  and  terrestrial  mistletoe. 

L.  Numniuldria,  creeping  loosestrife,  moneywort,  or  creeping  Jenny,  we 
often  see  in  gardens  or  trailing  over  lawns.  It  is  an  exotic  species, natural- 
ised from  Europe  and  distinctive  from  its  opposite,  rounded  ovate,  rather 
small  leaves  and  large  solitary  flowers  growing  from  the  axils.  All  its  out- 
lines are  simple. 

Closely  related  to  this  genus  is  one  called  Steironema,  the  members  of 
which  also  mostly  pass  under  the  English  name  of  "  loosestrife."  Among 
them  are  such  conspicuous  members  as  : 

Steironema  ciliatum,  fringed  loosestrife,  found  in  low,  moist  ground.  It 
has  large,  lanceolate  leaves  with  slender,  ciliate  petioles  from  whose  axils 
the  yellow  flowers  grow  on  long,  thread-like  pedicels.  Their  five-parted 
corollas  have  no  tubes;  but  the  five  lobes  are  deeply  parted  and  spreading, 
the  apices  commonly  mucronate  and  jagged. 

S.  lanceoldium,  lance-leaved  loosestrife,  may  also  be  sought  for  in  moist 
soil  and  when  found  is  known  by  its  narrow,  lanceolate  leaves,  considerably 
smaller  than  those  of  the  fringed  loosestrife,  and  which  are  either  petioled 
or  nearly  sessile.  Near  their  bases  they  are  sparingly  ciliate  or  naked  along 
the  margins,  and  from  the  stem's  axils  thread-like  pedicels  ascend  which 
bear  the  yellow  flowers. 

AMERICAN  FEATHERFOIL.     WATER=FEATHER. 

{Plate  CXXXIV.) 
Hottonia    itiflata. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

'^riiiirose. 

]r/iiic. 

S.i-,it/css. 

Florida  and  Louisiana 
to  Xi7v  )'or/:. 

./;//;,-..////,'. 

F/<m>rrs  :  small,  wliorlcd  at  the  joints  of  clustered  and  inflated  stems  and  sub- 
tended bv  bracts.  Cutyx  :  five-parted.  Corolla  :  salver-shai)ed  ;  tive-lohed, 
shorter  than  the  calyx.  'Stamens  :  five.  Leaves  :  sessile,  crowded  about  the  base 
of  the  flowering  stems;  divided  into  fine,  thread-like,  entire  segments  which  ex- 
tend to    almost  their  middle.     An  aquatic   herb,  with    submerged,  spongy  stem, 


PLATE  CXXXIV.     AMERICAN    FEATHERFOIL.     HoUoma  injlata, 
(410) 


THE  PRIMROSE  FAMILY.  411 

In  ponds  or  ditthes  where  there  is  shallow,  stai^mant  water  this  strange 
plant  raises  its  inflated  peduncles  and  throws  out  its  queer  little  flowers. 
Under  the  water  its  floating  foliage  is  suggestive  of  a  seaweed,  and  so  cut 
is  it  into  fine  segments  as  to  make  applicable  the  name  of  feather.  When 
dried,  specimens  of  the  plant  have  something  the  look  of  Japanese  prints. 

AilERICAN  COWSLIPS.     SHOOTING     STAR.     GIANT 
CYCLAMEN. 

Dod(-iatJu'0)i  Mead  id 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF   BLOOM 

Primrose.  rur/>u\ /'ht/c  Sct-n^icss.  Ccors^ia  ami  Texai  April-June, 

or  cream.  northward. 

Flmucrs :  nodding;  showy;  growing  in  a  terminal  ])racted  umbel,  on  slender 
pedicels  that  curve  with  the  flower  but  become  erect  in  fruit.  Calyx:  five-cleft, 
the  divisions  at  first  reflexed  ;  persistent.  Corolla  :  with  five  linear,  strongly  re- 
flexed  lobes.  Sla>iiens  :  five,  the  linear  erect  anthers  arranged  so  as  to  apparently 
form  a  cone.  Pistil:  one.  Leaves:  from  the  base,  clustered,  oblanceolate, 
blundy  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  the  margined  petiole  ; 
entire  ;  smooth  ;  thin. 

'  .  "  Meadia's  soft  chains  five  suppliant  beaux  confess, 

And  hand  in  hand,  the  laughing  belle  address  ; 
Alike  to  all   she  bows  with  wanton  air, 
Rolls  her  dark  eyes,  and  waves  her  yellow  hair." 

This  old  bit  of  English  poetry  written  about  the  most  quaint  of  the 
primroses,  is  said  to  have  represented  as  beau.K  the  flower's  fine  stamens  as 
they  encircle  the  one  pistil,  or  Meadia.  In  the  drooping  poise  of  the  corolla 
also  there  is  meaning ;  for  the  stamens,  considerably  shorter  than  the  pistil, 
are  thus  enabled  to  shake  their  golden  pollen  directly  on  the  stigma.  As  its 
seeds  begin  to  develop,  however,  the  head  erects  itself  that  their  premature 
escape  may  be  prevented.  It  was  Linnasus  who  bestowed  the  generic  name 
significant  of  the  twelve  heathen  gods. 


THE  PLUMBAGO  FAMILY. 

PI  It  ]ndao-indcca\ 

o 

MARSH  ROSEHARY.     INK  ROOT.     SEA  LAVENDER. 

L  u)i  on  iu ni  Ci i  rolin  t\  in  u »i . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Pluml'tigo.  Lavender.  Fragrant.  Texas  and  Florida  north-        J uly-Octohcr. 

ivard  along  the  coast. 

Flo7vers  :  tiny,  mostly  solitary  growing  in  one-sided  bracted  clusters  at  the  eiid 
of  a   high   scape  branched  above    as   a  panicle.     Calyx :  tubular  ;    five-toothed. 


412  THE  PLUMBAGO  FAMILY. 

Corolla:  salver-shaped,  with  five  distinct  spatulate  petals.  Stamens :  ^v^^  in- 
serted on  the  base  of  the  petals.  Leaves:  mostly  from  the  base;  obovate,  or 
oblanceolate;  obtuse  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  a  long  margined  petiole  ; 
entire. 

This  pretty  little  plant  which  is  presented  as  a  representative  of  the  plum- 
bago family  grows  in  salt  marshes  along  the  coast.  There  many  of  them 
grouped  together  throw  out  often  through  their  dainty,  tiny  corollas  a  good 
stretch  of  misty  colouring.  These  in  drying  still  retain  their  lavender  tint. 
With  everlastings  and  the  bitter-sweet's  fruit,  they  are  gathered  by  country 
people  to  decorate  the  home  during  the  winter.  Such  bouquets  also  are 
said  to  be  of  value  to  keep  away  moths,  while  the  plant's  roots  are  scraped 
to  apply  to  canker-sores. 

THE  SAPODILLA  FAfllLY. 

Sapotdccc^. 

WOOLLY  BUCKTHORN.     {Plate  CXXXV.) 
BiDnelia  lanuginosa. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Sapodilla.  White.  Scentless.  Florida  to  Texas  June,  July. 

and  Illinois. 

Flowers:  small;  regular,  growing  on  pubescent  pedicels  in  sessile,  axillary  clus- 
ters. Calyx:  tomentose,  persistent,  five-parted.  Corolla:  five-cleft,  and  having 
appendages  between  the  lobes.  Fertile  stamens:  five,  alternating  with  as  many, 
petal-like  and  sterile  ones.  Berries:  ovoid;  small.  Leaves:  alternate  in  lateral 
groups  ;  obovate,  or  obovate-oblong,  rounded  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base 
into  short  petioles  ;  entire  ;  thick  ;  bright  green  and  smooth  alDove,  and  covered 
densely  underneath  with  a  silky  tomentum  ;  persistent.  A  shrub  or  small  tree 
about  sixty  feet  high  with  smooth  greyish  or  brown  branches,  usually  showing 
spines. 

In  bloom,  the  woolly  buckthorn  is  a  rather  unusual-looking  individual 
with  symmetrical  and  abundant  foliage  which  then  is  as  vividly  green  and 
brilliant  above  as  that  of  the  southern  magnolia.  It  also  is  softly  downy 
underneath.  As  the  leaves  are  persistent  over  the  winter,  we  later  notice 
among  them  a  few  that  have  been  eaten  by  insects  until  only  the  fine  mesh- 
work  of  the  veins  and  veinlets  remains.  So  far  from  repulsing  us,  however, 
these  grim  skeletons  show  clearly,  as  in  all  similar  cases,  the  intricate  and 
beautiful  frame-work  of  the  leaves. 

B.  lyciotdes,  southern  buckthorn,  also  an  attractive  tree  or  small  shrub, 
bears  minute,  greenish  flowers  growing  in  axillary  clusters  on  rather  long 


PLATE  CXXXV.     WOOLLY  BUCKTHORN.     Bunu-lLi  hnnginosJ. 
U13) 


414  THE  SAPODILLA  FAMILY. 

pedicels.     On  both  surfaces  its  leaves  are  smooth.     Nearly  or  quite  so,  also, 
are  the  pedicels  and  calyxes. 

B.  ie7tax,  a  much  rarer  plant  than  either  of  the  two  preceding  ones,  inhabits 
mostly  dry  soil.  Near  Jacksonville,  Florida,  it  is  found  in  thickets.  On  their 
lower  surfaces  the  oblanceolate  leaves  are  covered  with  golden  brown  hairs, 
while  the  flower-clusters,  which  although  abundant  are  not  conspicuous, 
show  also  this  feature. 

THE  EBONY  FAMILY. 

EbendcecB, 

PERSIMMON.      DATE=PLUn. 

Diospyros    Virginmna. 

FAMILY                 SHAPE                               HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Ebony.         Crorun  :   round;  20  to  60  feet  Florida  and  May,  June. 

branches  spreading^  or  higgler.  Texas  to  Fruit:  September- 

or  pendulous.  Neiv  York.  November. 

Bark  :  almost  black,  or  tinged  with  red  ;  rough,  astringent.  Leaves :  three  to 
five  inches  long,  or  smaller  ;  simple  ;  alternate  with  pubescent  petioles,  broadly- 
lanceolate  or  oval,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  pointed,  rounded,  or  cordate  at  the 
base;  dark  green  and  lustrous  above  ;  pale  and  dull  underneath;  thick;  ciliate 
and  when  young,  pubescent.  Flowers  :  small ;  greenish  yellow  ;  the  staminate  ones 
mostly  clustered,  the  pistillate  ones  mostly  solitary,  axillary.  Calyx  :  four-parted. 
Corolla  :  ht\\-s\i2i\>td;  four-cleft.  Fruit:  globose;  almost  sessile;  when  green 
astringent;  becoming  sweet,  especially  after  exposure  to  frost;  persistent  until  the 
beginning  of  winter. 

As  familiar  indeed  to  the  country  boy  as  to  the  botanist  is  the  persimmon, 
and  in  his  wanderings  he  can  pretty  well  follow  its  course  throughout  his 
locality.  When  its  fruit  is  ripe,  it  is  to  him  an  especially  interesting  find  ; 
for  when  had  he  ever  a  mouth  too  weary  to  crowd  it  with  anything  so 
luscious  and  sweet  ?  Not  only  in  the  woods  and  thickets  is  it  found,  but 
sometimes  it  takes  possession  of  worn-out  farm  lands.  Besides  valuing  its 
fruit,  the  people  also  know  its  inner  bark  to  be  possessed  of  astringent 
and  tonic  properties  which  they  make  use  of  in  curing  intermittent  fevers. 
A  beverage  they  make  from  the  ripe  fruit  is  familiarly  called  "  simmon 
beer,"  and  is  pleasing  to  the  taste  ;  but  the  brandy  procured  from  the  fer- 
mented fruit  requires  much  age  to  make  it  acceptable  to  fastidious  palates. 
The  wood  of  the  persimmon  is  useful  in  the  manufacture  of  shoe-lasts  and 
other  small  articles.  Even  its  seeds  are  roasted  to  use  when  coffee  is  not 
available. 


THE  SWEET  LEAF  FAMlLV.  415 

THE  SWEET  LEAF  FAMILY. 

Symplocliccce, 

SWEET  LEAF.     HORSE=SUGAR. 

Syuiplocos  tine  tori  a. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Sweet  luaf.         Deep yelloiv.  Fragrant.         florida  ami  I.ntiisana  Mar, /t,  April. 

to  Delaivare. 

Flowers  :  very  abundant  and  growing  in  sessile,  bracted  clusters.  Ci/yx  :  top- 
shaped,  the  five  lobes  bluntly  pointed.  Corolla  :  with  five  long,  narrow'segments 
almost  polyi^etalous.  Stame?ts  :  numerous,  inserted  at  the  base  of  the  corolla  in 
five  sets.  Drupe :  oblong;  one-seeded  ;  nut-like.  Leaves:  simple  ;  alternate;  with 
short  downy  petioles;  oblong,  pointed  at  both  ends;  entire,  or  crenate-serrate; 
bright  yellow-green  above,  very  much  paler  below  and  covered  with  a  silvery 
down  ;  somewhat  persistent;  sweet  to  the  taste;  thick.  A  small  tree  about  thirty 
feet  high,  or  a  shrub. 

Of  the  tribe  to  which  this  plant  belongs,  it  is  the  only  representative  in 
North  America  ;  and  in  earliest  spring  when  its  ckisters  of  intensely  yellow, 
fragrant  flowers  appear  on  the  twigs  it  is  most  beautiful.  Near  the  limit  of 
its  northern  range  there  is  then  not  a  leaf  to  be  seen  among  them.  They 
appear  to  spring  solely  from  the  bare,  grey  wood.  But  further  southward 
the  leaves  are  persistent  through  the  winter  or,  when  well  sheltered,  even  so 
for  possibly  two  years.  In  drying,  these  bright,  yellow-green  leaves  with 
their  silvery  sheen  remain  unchanged  in  colour,  or  turn  perhaps  more  yel- 
low. To  produce  this  colour,  in  fact,  they  are  made  into  a  dye.  As  the 
English  name  implies,  they  are  rather  sweet  to  the  taste,  like  sugar. 
Horses  and  cows  eat  them  most  greedily. 


THE  STORAX  FAMILY. 

Styj'acdcci^. 

Including  small  frees,  or  shrubs  %ciitJi  simple,  alternate  leai'es  and 
which  bear  perfect,  regular,  bell-shaped  Jloiaers  icith  gamopctalous  or 
polypetalous  corollas  and  ivhich  have  their  calyxes  more  or  less  adnate  to 
the  ovaries. 


4i6  THE  STORAX  FAMILY. 

FOUR=WINGED  SNOWDROP  TREE.     SILVER=BELL  TREE. 

RATTLE  BOX.     {Plate  C XX XV J.) 

Moh rodendrnn  Caf-olin it m . 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Storax. 

White. 

Scentless. 

Florida^  Alabama 
to  I'irginia. 

Jllarc/i,  April. 

Flmvers  :  growing  in  loose,  drooping  clusters  along  the  branches  and  appearing 
with,  or  before  the  leaves.  Calyx:  short;  four-toothed.  Corolla:  campanulate  ; 
four  or  five-parted,  the  lobes  being  often  crenate.  Stamens  :  eight  to  sixteen. 
Pistil:  one.  Seed-vessels:  long-oblong;  four-winged  and  conspicuously  tipped 
with  a  remnant  of  the  style.  Leaves  :  slender-petioled ;  ovate,  or  oblong,  with 
pointed  apex  and  mostly  rounded  or  wedge-shaped  base ;  slightly  serrate;  bright 
green  and  glabrous  above ;  pubescent  underneath ;  thin.  Branches:  reddish 
brown,  or  greyish ;  ridged. 

The  first  time  I  saw  the  snowdrop  tree  it  grew  on  a  mountain-side  high 
in  the  Appalachian  system,  where  in  beauty  and  variety  the  flora  is  unrivalled 
in  this  country.  It  was  well  grown,  and  closed  about  with  other  vegetation, 
but  from  every  side  of  it  could  be  seen  its  large,  winged  pods  as  they 
ceaselessly  moved  with  the  wind.  When  in  blossom,  however,  is  the  time 
to  find  it  one  of  our  most  lovely  trees.  Its  bell-shaped,  drooping  flowers 
have  all  the  fragile  purity  of  early  snowdrops,  and  yet  are  more  approach- 
able. They  unfold  also  when  there  is  little  apparent  animation  in  the  plant 
world.  Insects  seldom  attack  them,  and  throughout  their  day  they  are  like 
sprites  gambolling  through  the  boughs.  When  it  became  necessary  to 
rename  the  tree,  there  was  good-natured  rivalry  between  Dr.  Britton  and 
Prof.  Greene  as  to  the  most  fitting  title  with  which  to  honour  Dr.  Charles 
Mohr  as  a  dedication.  There  was  then  some  uncertainty  as  to  how  best  to  fit 
Dr.  Mohr's  name  into  a  generic  one.  Carlomohria  and  Mohria  were  among 
the  suggestions  offered.  Finally,  however,  the  name  Mohrodendron,  with 
which  we  are  now  familiar,  was  regarded  by  many  as  the  most  appropriate. 

M.  dipterMiii  is  noticeably  different  from  the  silver-bell  tree  in  having  the 
lobes  of  its  corolla  cleft  almost  to  the  base.  In  March  they  are  fully  blown 
while  the  leaves  then  are  only  partly  developed.  The  seed-pods,  more- 
over, have  but  two  wings,  almost  if  not  quite  as  broad  as  the  pods. 

LARGE=LEAVED  STORAX.     {Plate  CXXXVIII) 

Storax  grandifblia . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Storax,  ll^hite.  Very  fragrant.  .   Florida  to  Virginia.  March-May. 

Flowers :   growing  in  loose  racemes,  the  pedicels  and  peduncle  covered  with  a 

.  dense  tomentum.     Calyx:  with  five  unequal,  pubescent  lobes.     Corolla  :  with  five 

oblong,  narrow  lobes  somewhat  pubescent  on  the  outside.     Stamens  :  ten.     Pistil: 

one;  style  :  long,  exserted  ;  slender.     Capside:  ovoid;  very  puberulent.     Leaves: 

from  three  to  nine  inches  long  ;  obovate,  or  oval  with   short   pubescent  petioles, 


PLATE  CXXXVI.     FOUR-WINGED  SNOWDROP  TREE.    Mohrodcudron  Cjroluuiw. 

(417) 


PLATE  CXXXVIll.     LARGE-LEAVED  STORAX.     Stoi'ax  grandifolia. 
(418) 


PLATE   CXXXVII.     STACK   ROCK. 


Against  Rough  Ridge  on  the  road  from  Lmville  to  BIo2vi?ig 
Rock  leans  in  bold  relief  the  Stack  Rock.  One  layer  piled  on 
another^  it  stands  so  high  that  in  looking  up7vard  the  distance 
between  it  and  the  sky  seems  to  be  but  slight.  Bettoeoi  its  crevi- 
ces small  firs  7nake  a  noble  struggle  for  existence  ;  but  so7nb?'e  it 
looks,  and  few  fioiaers  gladden  its  surface.  Coverifig  the  ground 
at  its  hase^  however,  is  a  bed  of  ferns,  soft  and  tender ;  a  fresh 
ga?nboling  ground  for  wide  awake  rabbits. 
(cxxxvii). 


THE  STORAX  FAMILY.  419 

pointed  at  the  apex  and  wedge-shaped,  or  rounded  at  the  base  ;  denticulate,  or 
roughly  and  remotely  toothed  towards  the  apex,  often  entire;  bright  green  and 
glabrous  above,  white  pubescent  underneath;  thin.  A  woody  shrub,  five  to  ten 
feet  high,  with  reddish  brown,  or  greyish  branches. 

With  its  exquisite,  dainty  white  blossoms  and  deep  green  leaves  this  is 
indeed  one  of  our  fairest  shrubs  and  useful  in  plantini^  because,  considerably 
beyond  the  limits  of  its  northern  range,  it  is  hardy.  The  Howers  give  some- 
what the  same  impression  as  those  of  the  orange  tree,  while  of  their  intense 
fragrance  one  whiff  is  enough  ;  too  much,  an  embarrassment  of  sweetness. 

S.  pulveriilenta,  downy  storax,  is  remarkable  from  the  scurfy  substance 
which  covers  the  under  sides  of  its  leaves,  the  calyxes,  pedicels  and  the 
young  twigs.  Its  leaves,  moreover,  are  smaller  and  their  bloom  more  abun- 
dant than  that  of  the  large-leaved  storax.  At  maturity  it  is  interesting  to 
notice  how  the  capsule  bursts  into  three  sections,  that  the  single,  round  seed 
may  escape  readily. 

S.  A;;u'r/cdna,  smooth  storax,  as  its  English  name  implies  is  distinguished 
from  the  others  by  its  smoothness,  although  when  young  its  petioles  are 
covered  with  a  scurf.  Generally  but  few  flowers  are  grouped  in  the  short 
racemes,  but  they  are  slender,  bell-shaped  and  unusually  pretty.  From 
Florida  and  Louisiana  the  range  of  this  one  extends  to  Virginia,  but  in  cul- 
tivation it  is  hardy  much  further  northward. 


THE  OLIVE  FAMILY. 

Trees  or  shrubs  with  simple  or  pinnate^  opposite  or  rarely  alternate, 
mostly  etitire,  leaves  and  which  bear  sjnall,  regular,  perfect  flowers,  in 
axillary ^  or  terminal  inflorescences. 

GREEN  ASH.     {Plate  CXXX/X.) 
F?  -dxlfi  us  lanceoldia. 

FAMILY  SHAPE  HEIGHT  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Olive.  Crown :  round ;  20  to  6=,  feet.  Flori<1,i  fio->-t h-Vijrd  A/<ri/,  M.iy . 

branches  spreading.  and  ivcstward. 

Bark:  grtyxsh  brown  ;  furrowed.  Bninchlcts:  ash  coloured  and  niarked  with 
pale,  dot-like  excrescences.  Leaves  :  odd-pinnate,  with  from  five  to  nine  ovate,  or 
lanceolate,  taper-pointed  leaflets  which  grow  on  smooth  petioles  hardly  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  long  ;  sharply  serrate,  or  entire  and  becoming  entire  towards  the  base. 
Bright  green  on  both  sides  and  glabrous,  although  occasionally  downy  in  the  angles 
of  the  ribs,     F/owcrs  ;  dioecious ;  the  staminate  ones  with  two  or  three  stamens 


PLATE  CXXXIX.     GREEN  ASH.     Fraxinus  lanccolaia. 
(420) 


THE  OLIVE  FAMILY.  421 

having    linear-oblong    anthers;  the    pistillate    ones    with    persistent   calyxes  and 
slender,  two-lobed  styles.     Samaras:  small,  spatulate,  ncHchcil  at  their  suininits. 

It  was  IMichaux  who  said  "  cxccjit  the  oak  no  tree  of  iuiropc  or  of  North 
America  is  so  j^cnerally  useful  as  the  ash  ;  "  and  wc  all  know  iiow  iiuuli 
the  limber  of  the  larger  species  is  scnii^ht  for  its  superior  streii.i;ih  and  sup- 
pleness. The  ashes  are,  moreover,  graceful,  beautiful  trees  which,  it  would 
seem,  we  see  now  quite  as  frequently  in  cultivation  as  we  do  in  the  forest. 
In  the  autumn  the  winged  samaras  of  the  pistillate  individuals  frolic  madly 
about  in  the  breezes,  seeking  some  guarded  niche  wherein  they  may  lodge 
and  germinate.  Never  are  they  borne  double  as  those  of  the  maples. 
The  small  size  of  this  tree  as  compared  with  the  white  ash  makes  it  al- 
together less  valuable  to  choose  for  timber,  but  for  planting  purposes  it  is  a 
great  favourite,  being  very  beautiful.  That  Michaux  named  it  the  green  ash 
was  owing  to  the  lustrous,  vivid  colouring  of  its  foliage,  of  which  both  sur- 
faces are  nearly  alike.  In  a  wild  state  it  follows  mostly  along  the  banks 
of  rivers,  and  in  North  Carolina  is  particularly  abundant  through  the  middle 
and  upper  districts. 

While  with  the  early  Buddhists  it  was  a  question  whether  or  not  trees 
had  souls,  and  therefore,  whether  it  was  lawful  to  perpetrate  on  them  any 
injury,  the  ashes  seem  rather  generally  to  have  been  regarded  by  the  an- 
cients as  being  possessed  of  individual  spirits.  The  Indians  believed  this 
of  all  the  trees  and  thought  also  that  the  indwelling  ones  passed  in  and  out 
through  their  holes.  Ygdrasil  was  the  mighty  ash  of  Scandinavian  mythol- 
ogy ;  the  one  said  to  support  the  whole  universe. 

Perhaps  we  should  regret  the  edict  which  finally  was  rendered  that  trees 
had  no  souls,  for  should  many  to-day  regard  them  with  feelings  of  deeper 
sentiment,  they  would  no  doubt  be  protected   from  much  unmerciful  injury. 

F.  Americana,  white  ash,  so  called  from  the  ashen  colour  of  its  bark,  is 
the  largest  one  of  the  genus  and  is  generally  known  by  its  beautiful  spray  of 
light  green  foliage,  which  is  whitish  underneath,  forming  thereby  an  attrac- 
tive contrast  in  colour.  It  preferably  inhabits  a  cool  climate,  although  also 
it  occurs  through  our  range  as  far  southward  as  Florida.  Along  the  river- 
banks  it  grows  rapidly;  the  pistillate  individuals  becomings  particularly  gay- 
looking  when  their  young  samaras  are  apple-green  and  tinted  with  pink. 
Sometimes  its  wood  is  used  in  preference  to  even  that  of  the  white  oak. 

In  point  of  distinction  the  white  ash  may  be  known  by  the  strictly  termi- 
nal wing  of  the  samara,   the  body  of  w'hich  is  round  and  elliptical  in  outline. 

F.  Bi//nioredna,  Biltmore  ash,  a  species  of  the  south  only,  and  one  which 
grows  in  places  from  Alabama  and  Georgia  to  Tennessee  and  \'irginia,  is 
very  strongly  suggestive  of  the  white  ash.  Its  upper  bark,  however,  is  blu- 
ish grey  and  covered  with  light-coloured  excrescences,  while  again  it  may 
be  separated  by  the  pubescence  of  its  twigs  and  petioles.     Along  the  banks 


422  THE  OLIVE  FAMILY. 

of  the  French-Broad  and  Swannanoa  rivers  it  grows  very  gracefully  and  is 
quite  tall.  Here  it  was  first  noticed  with  regard  to  its  specific  differences  by 
Mr.  Beadle,  who  then  bestowed  on  it  its  present  name. 

F.  Carolmiana,  water  ash,  also  a  beautiful  although  small  tree  of  deep 
river-swamps  produces  ovate,  obovate-lanceolate,  or  elliptical  leaves,  vividly 
green  on  their  upper  surfaces.  Its  samaras,  the  bodies  of  which  are  flat,  are 
among  the  prettiest  of  the  genus,  oblong-obovate  and  having  their  broad 
wings  tinted  with  varying  shades  of  pink  and  purple.  As  early  in  the  season 
as  March  it  blooms,  and  it  extends  from  Texas,  Florida  and  Mississippi  to 
the  Carolinas  and  southern  Virginia.  In  fact,  Michaux,  the  younger,  called 
it  Carolina  ash  because  in  those  states  he  came  across  it  so  frequently. 

F.  profunda  is  another  ash  which  grows  through  southern  swamps.  Its 
large  leaves  are  lanceolate-ovate  and  the  samaras  about  two  and  a  quarter 
inches  long.  At  their  apices  they  are  rounded,  or  squared,  while  they 
gradually  taper  towards  the  bases. 

COMMON  FRINGE  TREE.     OLD  MAN'S  BEARD. 
Chiondiithus  Vin^ifii'ca. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Olh'e. 

IFkiie. 

Fragrant. 

Florida  northward 

to  /Pennsylvania 

and  Delaware. 

April-June. 
Fruit :  September. 

Flowers:  showy;  growing  in  loose,  drooping  panicles.  Calyx:  small,  four- 
lobed.  Corolla  :  with  four,  slender  petals,  three  quarters  of  an  inch  long  and  but 
slightly  united  at  the  base.  Stamens  :  two,  rarely  three,  very  short.  Pistil:  one. 
Fruit :  bluish  purple  ;  oval ;  glaucous  and  containing  one  seed.  Lea7'es  :  large  ; 
simple,  petioled  ;  ovate,  or  oblong-obovate  with  pointed,  or  rarely  rounded  apices 
and  being  mostly  narrowed  at  the  base.  Bark:  brown,  or  ashen  and  divided  into 
thin  scales.  A  small  tree  with  narrow,  oblong  crown  at  most  thirty-five  feet 
high,  or  a  shrub. 

Sometimes  when  exploring  new  fields  for  flowers  there  is  a  shade  of  dis- 
appointment hovering  over  the  seeker.  He  feels  aggrieved  at  seeing  so 
many  common  plants — those  that  in  his  own  home  he  has  known  from  child- 
hood. But  when  he  goes  to  a  region  where  the  fringe  tree  is  a  native  he 
forgets  the  presence  of  more  homely  bloomers  and  regrets  that  it  also  did 
not  grow  close  to  his  own  dooryard. 

Nowhere  does  it  appear  more  wonderfully  beautiful  than  in  the  high  moun- 
tains of  the  Alleghanies.  Here  when  the  azaleas  and  rhododendrons  are  in 
bloom,  its  long  misty  petals  hang  over  many  a  bank  like  a  bright-coloured 
mist.  There  is  nothing  bold  or  striking  about  them,  still  they  fairly  fringe 
the  mountains  with  a  soft,  poetic  bloom.  The  leaves  then  have  not  fully 
unfolded  ;  but  later  in  the  season  they  appear,  vividly  green  and  symmetri- 
cal. Although  often  seen  growing  well  in  grounds  and  parks,  it  has  never  the 
same  charm  as  when  in  its  own  wild  homes.  At  the  limit  of  its  southern 
range,  Florida,  the  people  gather  its  bark  to  prepare  a  drink  for  curing  the 
fever  called  broken  bones. 


THE  OLIVE  FAMILY.  423 

AMERICAN  WILD  OLIVE.     DEVIL-WOOD. 

Osmatithus    A)nt'ricdnus. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Olive.  Cream-white.  Very  fragrant .  Florida  to  March,  .{f-rtl. 

North  Carolina.  Fruit  :  June. 

Flowers:  small;  polygamous,  growing  sessile  or  on  very  short  pedicels  in  axil- 
lary racemes.  Calyx  :  minute,  bracted  at  the  base  and  with  four-triangular,  sharp- 
pointed  lobes.  Corolla  :  salver-form  with  four  short,  spreading  and  rounded 
lobes.  Stamens :  two,  on  the  corolla.  Drupes:  dark  blue;  oblong,  or  obovate 
at  the  end  of  the  bracted  pedicels.  Leaves:  simple;  op|)osite;  narrowly  oblong 
or  lanceolate,  tapering  at  the  base  into  margined  peti(jles  ;  entire;  bright-green 
and  glossy  above,  pubescent  underneath  when  young,  and  dotted  with  i)lack; 
evergreen.     Bark:  grey,  tinted  with  red;  scaly.     Inner  bark:  cinnamon  coloured. 

Besides  being  a  tree  of  usually  about  twenty  feet  high,  the  Devil-wood 
occurs  often  much  smaller,  and  is  tlien  of  shrubby  habit.  And,  since  it  may 
cause  wonder,  it  may  here  be  stated  that  it  has  brought  upon  itself  its 
rather  forcible  common  name  through  the  difficulty  which  is  found  in  split- 
ting its  wood.  Usually  it  grows  in  oak-woodlands  or  moist,  rich  soil  but  a 
short  distance  from  the  coast.  Its  handsome  fruit,  a  little  larger,  perhaps, 
than  buckshot,  is  bitter,  has  astringent  properties,  and  is  not  edible.  Dur- 
ing the  autumn  the  flower-buds  are  formed  in  the  leaf  axils  of  the  year,  and 
here  they  remain  snugly  warm  with  their  woolly  covering  until  the  early 
spring.  It  was  by  Mark  Catesby  in  the  Natural  History  of  North  Carolina 
that  the  tree  was  first  described. 

Our  common  lilac  bushes,  Syringas,  we  must  remember,  and  also  the 
privots,  Ligustrum  species  familiarly  known  in  cultivation,  are  other  examples 
of  the  Olive  family. 


THE  LOQANIA  FAHILY. 

Loganiacccc. 
Including  in  our  species  vines  and  herbs  with  opposite,  simple,  entire 
leaves    and  ichich    bear    regular.^   perfect    flowers   7vith   gaviopetalous 
corollas. 

YELLOW  JESSAMINE.     CAROLINA  JASMINE.    {Plate  CXI.) 
GelshniiDU  sc))ipi'rvirc}is. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Logajiia.  Vivid  yellow.  Very  fragrant .  Texas  and  Florida  February- 

to  Virginia.  November. 

Flo7uers  :  growing  in  axillary  cymes  of  from  one  to  six  flowers.     Pedicels :  short; 
with   scale-like    bracts.     Calyx:   with    five    oblong,  pointed  segments.     Corolla: 


424 


THE  LOGANIA  FAMILY. 


funnel-form,  with  five  spreading  and  rounded  lobes.  Stamens:  ^ve  on  the  throat 
of  the  corolla.  Pistil:  one;  style  four-cieft.  Capsule:  flat;  oblong,  pointed, 
grooved  on  either  side.  Leaves  :  one  to  three  inches  long  with  short  petioles, 
lanceolate  or  oblong-lanceolate,  tapering  or  pointed  at  the  base  ;  entire;  bright- 
green  and  glaucous;  evergreen.     A  woody  twining  vine. 

As  interwoven,  it  seems,  with  the  beauty  and  sentiment  of  southern  low- 
lands is  the  "  Jasamer,"  as  it  is  called  by  the  natives,  as  is  the  velvety  edel- 
weiss with  the  history  of  snow-clad  peaks.  Early-laden  indeed  is  the  warm 
air  of  spring  with  its  delicious  perfume  while,  basking  himself  on  its  intensely 
yellow  petals,  the  sly  chameleon  drowsily  opens  his  rounded  eyes.  Through 
w^oods  and  thickets  it  wends  its  way  vigorously  and  gleams  as  brightly  as 
does  later  the  Cherokee  rose.  It  is  one  of  the  joys  of  the  season,  instilling 
impressions  long  remembered  by  those  who  know  it  well. 

Looking  at  one  of  the  blossoms  critically  it  is  found  that  it  is  dimorphous, 
— that  is  in  one  form  the  stigma  is  exserted  while  the  anthers  are  included — 
and  in  the  other  form  just  the  reverse  order  is  apparent.  To  secure  a 
proper  fertilization,  therefore,  it  is  necessary  for  a  stigma  to  receive  pollen 
from  stamens  of  other  corollas  than  its  own.  The  plant's  object,  of  course, 
in  resorting  to  this  device    is  that  self-fertilization  may  be  prevented. 

Under  the  names  also  of  evening  trumpet-flower  and  Carolina  wild  wood- 
bine is  this  lovely  individual  known.  Before,  or  just  after,  it  has  flowered, 
the  people  collect  its  rhizomes  to  make  into  an  extract  which  if  taken  with 
wisdom  has  been  known  to  cure  rheumatism.  But  it  should  not  be  used 
indiscriminately,  as  the  plant  is  possessed  of  a  narcotic  poison  and  more 
than  once  has  been  the  cause  of  death. 


-^«fiJf. 


i he  low  country. 


PLATE   CXL.     YELLOW  JESSAMINE.      Uclscnnnni  snupcrvircns. 


COPYRIGHT,    t90t,    BY  FREDERICK   A     STOKES  COMPANY 
PRINTED   IN   AMERICA 


THE  LOGANIA  FAMILY. 

PINK-ROOT.     INDIAN   PINK. 

Spigelia  Maryldndica. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Logan  t  a. 

Scarit't  and 
yellow. 

Scent  It  ii. 

Florid, I  to  \iV' Jersey 
ami  ivest^vanl. 

May,  June. 

\ 


Flcnuers  :  showy;  growing  in  a  terminal,  one-sided  spike  Calyx:  five-parted, 
the  divisions  pointed,  linear.  Corolla:  tubular,  long,  with  five  spreading  l(jl)cs. 
Stamens:  five,  their  anthers  linear.  Style:  exserted.  Stii^ma :  small,  obtuse. 
Leaves  :  opposite  with  small  stipules  ;  ovate  or  ovate-lanceolate,  p(jinied  at  the 
apex  and  sessile,  entire;  nerved;  almost  smooth  above  and  i)ubescent  along  the 
veins  underneath  ;  thin.  Stem  :  ten  inches  to  two  feet  high;  ascending;  simple  or 
branched,  four-angled  ;  smooth. 

Although  for  months  past  the  spring  has  been  showing  various  forms  of 
life  and  unfolding  many  blossoms,  the  pink-root  appears  gay  and  beautiful 
as  it  opens  just  on  the  border  of  summer.  It  has  none  of  the  tenderness, 
the  timidity  of  very  early  blossoms  ;  it  rather  strikes  a  note  to  key  our  expec- 
tation of  the  gorgeousness  of  hibiscuses,  milkweeds  and  lobelias  which  crown 
with  glory  the  later  season.  Mostly  it  grows  in  woods,  becoming  at  times 
quite  high,  and  often  responds  to  the  seemingly  inappropriate  name  of  worm- 
grass,  although  for  the  very  purpose  of  destroying  worms  it  is  in  popular  use. 


THE  GENTIAN  FAniLY. 

Gentiandcccc. 

In  our  species  herbs  with  bitter.,  colourless  Juice  and  opposite  or  rarely 
whor/ed,  entire  leaves,  and  ivhich  bear  regular.,  perfect  Jlowers^  either 
solitary  or  groiuing  in  termi/ial  or  axillary  clusters. 

BOYKIN'S  riARSH  PINK.     (^Plate  CXLII.) 
Sabbdtia  Boyklni. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Gentian.         Deep  rose-pink  or  ivkite.         Scentless.  Georgia  to  Alabama.  J>"'y- 

Flowers  :  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches  in  diameter;  solitary,  or  a  few  growing  in 
a  terminal,  sessile  cluster.  Calyx  :  campanulate  with  oblong-lanceolate,  pointed 
lobes.  Corolla  :  one  and  a  half  inches  wide;  wheel-shaped  with  eight  to  twelve 
large  rounded  petals.  Stamens:  eight  to  twelve  inserted  on  the  corolKi-tubc 
with  deep  yellow,  conspicuous  anthers.  Filaments  :  short.  Style:  two-cleft,  the 
divisions  recurved.  Leaves:  those  of  the  base  tufted,  lanceolate-oblong  or  sp.itu- 
late  and  tapering  into  margined  petioles  ;  those  of  the  stem  ovatc-lancce)latc,  .so- 


PLATE  CXLI.     ELLIOTT'S  SABBATIA.     Sahhatia  Elliottii, 
(426) 


PLATE   CXLII.     BOYKIN'S   MARSH    PINK.      Sao/\iti,i   lUyknni. 


COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY     FREDERICK   A.    STOKES  COMPANY 
PRINTED    IN    AMERICA 


THE  GENTIAN  FAMILY.  427 

sile,  bluntly  pointed  or  rounded  at  the  apex,  entire,  three-nerved,  glabrous  on  both 
sides  ;  thin.     Stent  :  one-half  foot  high,  branching,  ascending  mostly  simple. 

Year  after  year  faithfully  and  without  hesitation  we  may  seek,  through 
marshes  or  dry  woodland  soil,  some  known  haunt  of  this  exquisite  Mower 
and  find  it  rearing  its  head  as  sincerely  and  gayly  as  it,  perhaps,  has  done 
since  the  beginning  of  things.  It  is,  however,  not  a  common  one  of  the 
genus,  its  range  being  considerably  restricted.  But  its  flowers  are,  of  all 
lovely  sabbatias,  among  the  largest  and  most  luxuriantly  beautiful ;  the  num- 
erous petals  of  translucent  texture  having  often  an  air  quite  as  though  they 
had  been  bred  in  a  greenhouse.  It  was  in  commemoration  of  Dr.  I'.oykin 
that  the  plant  received  its  name. 

S.  aiigiistifblia,  narrow-leaved  sabbatia,  appeals  to  us  as  being  also  an 
exquisite  species  which  extends  northward  as  far  as  North  Carolina.  While 
its  blossoms  are  not  large,  the  plant  sends  them  out  very  abundantly  in  both 
lateral  and  terminal  cymes ;  and  to  the  corolla  of  five  or  sometimes  six  rose- 
pink  petals  there  is  a  lively  look  given  by  its  greenish  yellow  eye  and  cir- 
cling anthers.  More  than  one-half  as  long  as  the  petals  are  the  linear  calyx- 
lobes.  The  leaves,  W'hich  are  sessile  and  linear-lanceolate,  or  oblong, 
become  small,  almost  bract-like,  as  they  approach  the  flower. 

S.  gentianoides,  an  inhabitant  mostly  of  pine-barrens  through  the  low 
country,  grows  sometimes  as  high  as  two  feet.  Of  a  deep  shade  of  magenta, 
even  down  to  the  bases,  are  its  large  flowers,  while  their  straight  and  deep 
yellow  anthers  are  almost  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long.  The  calyx-lobes 
moreover  are  deeply  cleft.  Near  the  flower  the  sessile  stem-leaves  appear 
as  bracts  gradually  increasing  in  size  down  the  stem.  At  the  base  of  the 
plant  is  also  a  small  tuft  of  lanceolate  or  oblong  leaves. 

S.  stellaris,  sea  or  marsh  pink,  the  familiarly  known  member  of  the  genus, 
extends  from  Florida  along  the  coast  as  far  northward  as  Maine.  Locally 
it  is  much  beloved,  and  called  the  rose  of  Plymouth  in  accordance  with  the 
tradition  that  there  the  pilgrims  first  beheld  it  on  the  Sabbath  day.  It  has 
a  quaint  expression,  a  starry  eye,  usually  a  pink  corolla  and  calyx-segments 
shorter  than,  or  nearly  as  long  as,  the  petals. 

S.  dodecdndra,  large  marsh  pink,  flourishes  near  the  coast  and  from  July 
until  September  unfolds  its  most  beautiful  flowers.  They  are  large  and 
solitary,  at  the  ends  of  the  peduncles  or  branches,  either  deep  crimson-pink, 
or  white  delicately  bordered  with  pink,  and  have  from  eight  to  twelve  nar- 
rowly oblong  petals  marked  at  their  bases  with  yellow.  The  calyx-lobes  are 
narrowly  linear  and  often  over  half-an-inch  long.  That  the  plant's  range  is 
extended  gives  many  an  opportunity  to  search  for  its  blossoms  either  in  wet 
pine-barrens  or  by  the  sandy  borders  of  salt  marshes. 

S.  FJliottii,  Elliott's  sabbatia,  {Plate  CXLI)  with  its  many  pure  white 


428 


THE  GENTIAN  FAMILY. 


and  solitary  flowers  may  be  found  in  the  sandy  soil  of  pine-barrens,  bloom- 
ing from  July  until  September.  It  is  much  branched,  both  the  panicle  and 
branches  being  scantily  supplied  with  linear,  thread-like  leaves. 

STIFF  GENTIAN.     GALL=FLOWER.     AGUE=WEED. 

{^Plate  C XL II I.) 

Gentictna  qidnqiiefblia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Gentian.         Deep  blue  and        Scentless.  Florida  and  Missottri         Septe7nber^  October, 

white.  to  Maine. 

Flowers:  growing  on  short  pedicels  in  axillary  and  terminal  clusters.  Calyx: 
with  five  linear,  pointed  lobes.  Corolla  :  tubular  funnel-form;  straight:  spreading 
at  the  top  with  five  sharply  pointed  lobes.  6'Aj!W^«j';  five  ;  included.  Pistil:  one 
with  a  two-lobed  stigma.  Leaves  :  opposite;  ovate,  blunt  or  pointed  at  the  apex, 
clasping  and  slightly  cordate  at  the  base  ;  entire  ;  vivid,  dark  green.  Sle/n:  four 
inches  to  two  feet  high,  branching;  four-angled,  very  leafy. 

Not  in  the  spring,  or  in  the  summer,  do  we  see  the  gentians  gleaming 
vividly  blue  among  the  blood-roots  and  Hepaticas,  the  yellow  lilies  and 
uncanny  Indian  pipes.  They  blow  as  a  welcome  to  the  autumn,  lingering 
then  late,  until  asters  have  waved  their  last,  and  golden-rods  have  lost  their 
good  looks.  Late  in  August,  perhaps  a  few  of  the  species  may  come  into 
bloom,  but  as  a  general  thing  they  wait  until  September  and  then  last  until 
frost  causes  them  to  succumb.  The  stiff  gentian,  a  quaintly  pretty  one 
among  them  all,  grows  in  either  dry  or  moist  soil  and  often  ascends  to  a  con- 
siderable height  on  the  mountains.  All  along  the  waysides  going  up  Roan 
Mountain  and  following  the  road  to  Blowing  Rock,  we  saw  its  light  blue 
and  smaller  flowers  in  contrast  with  those  of  the  vividly  blue  and  larger 
ones  of  the  closed  or  blind  gentian,  Gentiana  Andrewsii. 

Through  these  parts  of  the  country  the  mountain  people  call  it  the  gall- 
flower  because  its  juices  are  so  bitter,  and  ague-weed  on  account  of  the 
extract  they  make  from  its  roots  and  employ  for  curing  fever. 

G.  crinita,  fringed  gentian,  the  unmistakable,  the  beautiful  one,  lauded 
by  Bryant,  and  with  petals  of  matchless  brilliant  blue  or,  occasionally,  white, 
does  not,  however,  come  so  late  in  the  season  that  the  "  birds  are  flown." 
Usually  in  September  it  first  opens,  and  for  the  season,  its  deeply  fringed 
corolla-lobes  have  permanently  closed  before  its  more  sturdy  relative  the 
blind  gentian  has  been  withered  by  the  frost.  Always  it  is  a  radiantly 
beautiful  blossom.  The  plant's  lanceolate  leaves  are  too  stiff  perhaps,  but 
strange  indeed  it  would  look  with  any  others.  So  bitter  and  tonic  an 
element  is  contained  in  the  roots  that  the  people  use  it  as  a  substitute  for 
quinine. 

G.  Ellidttii,  Elliott's  gentian,  bears  from  one  to  four  rather  large  flowers  at 


PLATE   CXLIII.     FIVE-FLOWERED  GENTIAN.     Gcutuin.i  qitinqiicfolia. 

(429) 


430  THE  GENTIAN  FAMILY. 

the  top  of  its  stem,  or  sometimes  a  smaller  number  appear  in  the  axils  of 
the  upper  leaves.  The  straight  bell-like  corolla  of  deep  blue  flares  some- 
what at  its  summit,  and  it  is  interesting  to  notice  that  between  its  ovate 
lobes  are  short  appendages,  delicately  fringed. 

G.  Saponarz'a,  soapwort  gentian,  which  occurs  in  wet  soil  from  Louisiana 
and  Florida  to  Canada,  shows  often  its  bright  blue  and  large  corolla  as  late 
as  November.  It  reminds  us  strongly  of  the  blind  gentian  in  being  club- 
shaped  and  almost  closed,  while  we  find  on  examining  it  that  its  lobes  are 
but  little  longer  than  the  appendages  between  them.  This  gentian  and  the 
species,  villosa,  which  follows,  also  the  closed  or  blind  one,  seem  all  to  be 
indiscriminately  called  through  the  mountains  Samson's  snakeroot,  and 
decoctions  made  from  them  are  taken  in  great  doses  as  a  remedy  for  dys- 
pepsia and  are  favourably  regarded  as  powerful  tonics  to  invigorate  the 
system.  For,  most  unhappily,  dyspepsia  and  heart-disease  are  common 
among  the  mountaineers.  That  the  stuff  has  the  effect  of  putting  renewed 
life  in  them  is  quite  true,  but  so  little  idea  have  they  of  quantity  that  in  other 
ways  it  causes  them  harm.  They  use  it  for  their  horses  also,  and  the  "  yarb 
doctors  "  among  them  make  it  into  powders.  The  negroes,  on  the  other 
hand,  have  really  faith  that  the  gentians  can  cure  snake-bite. 

G.  viUbsa,  striped  gentian,  or  Samson's  snakeroot,  a  beautiful  and  unusual- 
appearing  plant,  when  in  bloom  is  known  at  a  glance  from  other  gentians  by 
its  oblong,  funnel-form,  greenish  white  corolla,  which  is  striped  inside  very 
prettily  with  purple.  Its  leaves  are  obovate  and  mostly  blunt  at  their  apices. 
It  is  one  of  the  latest  bloomers  among  its  relatives. 

G.  Porphyria,  one-flowered  gentian,  bears  in  a  solitary  way  a  rather 
strange-looking  flower  of  blue  and  green  and  yellow,  the  ovate  corolla- 
lobes  of  which  are  very  spreading  and  the  little  appendages  which  attach 
them  very  short,  fringed,  and  considerably  brighter  in  colour.  In  a  simple 
or  branched  way  it  grows,  sometimes  as  high  as  twenty  inches,  and  abun- 
dantly bears  sessile,  linear  leaves. 


THE  BUCKBEAN  FAMILY. 

MenyantJiacecB. 

Ifi  our  species  aquatic  or  swamp  herbs  with  simple  floating  or  three- 
foliate  leaves^  entire ;  and  which  bear  in  clusters  or  racemes  regular^  per- 
fect flotvers. 


THE  BUCKBEAN  FAMILY.  431 

FLOATING-HEART. 

Limndnthemuin  laciinbsiim. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Buckbean. 

Yellow. 

Scentless. 

Florida  north^vard  to  Maine. 

J une-A  uj^uit. 

Flowers  :  growing  in  an  umbel  at  the  summit  of  the  long  stem  or  stolon  and 
from  under  one  of  the  short-petioled  leaves.  Calyx:  five-parted.  Corolla  :  wheel- 
siiaped,  the  five  lobes  often  ciliate  and  incurved  at  the  edges.  Stamens:  five, 
alternating  with  five  glands.  Stigma:  two-lobed.  Capsule:  containing  numerous 
smooth  seeds.  Leaves:  ovate,  or  circular  with  deejily  cordate  base  and  growing 
at  the  ends  of  long  stems,  entire,  spongy,  often  coloured  with  deep  purple. 

Altogether  associated  with  the  life  of  the  water  are  the  floating-hearts, 
and  curious  enough  they  appear,  as  from  under  their  rounded  floating  leaves 
they  bear  their  small,  systematically  arranged  flowers.  As  the  season 
advances  it  is  noticed  moreover  that  root-like  tubers  are  formed  at  the  ends 
of  the  stalks  and  under  the  water's  surface,  for  the  plant  follows  somewhat 
the  same  method  of  reproducing  itself  as  do  tiger  lilies.  F'inally  these  tubers 
detach  themselves  from  the  parent  plant  and  sink  to  the  underlying  mud, 
where  snugly  they  rest  until  the  next  season's  warm  sun  coaxes  them  to 
send  up  the  plants  they  hold  in  readiness. 

L.  aqiiaticum,  {Plate  CXLIV),  an  altogether  larger  plant  than  its  relative, 
is  still  readily  known  as  belonging  to  the  same  order  by  its  similar  construc- 
tion. The  circular  leaves,  with  narrow  deep  sinuses,  are  smooth  and  apple- 
green.  Other  differences  are  found  in  its  white  flowers  and  in  that  the  seeds 
they  bear  are  quite  rough. 


THE  DOGBANE  FAMILY. 

Apocynaccce. 

Including  m  our  range  shrubs.,  herbs  or  vines  7vith  niilky,  acrid  juice., 
simple  leaves  growing  in  various  positions  ;  and  7vhich  bearJIo2c>crs  with 
gamopetalous  corollas^  regular  and  perfect,  and  produced  in  cymes,  or 
panicles. 

AMSONIA. 

Anisbnia  Amsbnia. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Doi^liufie. 

Blue. 

Scentless. 

Florida  to  Louisiana 
a  nd  Fennsylva  n  ia . 

.{prii-July. 

Flowers  ;  growing    in   terminal    cyniose-panicles.     Calyx  :  minute,  five-parted. 
Corolla:  salver-form,  with    five    spreading,  linear   segments.     Stamens:  five,    in- 


mi''  i^ 

m 


PLATE  CXLIV.     FLOATING-HEART.     Limnanthcmum  aquaticum. 

(432) 


THE  DOGBANE  FAMILY.  433 

eluded,  inserted  on  the  throat  of  the  corolla.  Follich-s  :  in  pairs  two  to  four  inches 
long,  rounded,  smooth.  Leaves  :  alternate  ;  with  short  jieliolcs,  ovate,  or  lanceo- 
late, long-pointed  at  the  apex  and  narrowed  or  rounded  at  the  base,  entire;  dark 
green  ;  glabrous,  or  sometimes  slightly  pubescent  underneath.  S/e/n  :  erect,  two 
to  four  feet,  simple  or  branched,  smooth. 

Commonly  through  its  range  we  find  this  herb  as  it  produces  gaily  its 
blue  flowers,  with  their  sprightly,  wide-a-wake  look  and  clinging  as  though 
by  preference  to  the  moist  soil  of  river-banks,  rather  than  to  that  of  other 
places. 

A.  angustifblia  {Plate  CXL  V)  blooms  as  a  rule  earlier  in  the  season  than 
the  preceding  species  and  then  unfolds  a  head  of  larger  and  more  attractive 
flowers.  Most  abundantly  on  the  stem  also  are  produced  its  very  narrow 
almost  sessile  leaves,  which  about  their  margins  are  ciliate.  Of  the  south 
from  Florida  to  North  Carolina  the  plant  is  a  native,  where  it  thrives  lustily  in 
sandy  soil. 


INDIAN    HEHP.      AnY=ROOT. 

Apocynuin  can?idbinu7n. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

bajie.         Greenish  white.  Scentless.  Florida  northwarii.  /ulv. 


Flcnuers :  small,  growing  densely  in  terminal  and  lateral  cymes,  their  short 
pedicels  bracted  at  the  bases.  Calyx:  five-parted,  with  narrow  segments  nearly 
as  long  as  the  corolla-tube.  Corolla  :  campanulate,  five-lobed  and  bearing  with- 
in five  small,  triangular,  erect  bodies  which  alternate  with  the  stamens.  Staj/ietis : 
inserted  on  the  corolla  base.  Follicles  :  about  four  inches  long,  very  slender, 
curved.  Leaves  :  opposite,  with  short  petioles,  lanceolate,  oblong  or  ovate-oblong, 
narrowed  or  rounded  at  the  base,  smooth  above,  slightly  pubescent  along  the  veins 
underneath.  Stem  :  diffusely  branched  ;  ascending  ;  glabrous  and  slightly  covered 
with  a  bloom. 

Among  our  herbaceous  plants  we  have  few  more  quaint,  little  flowers  or 
few  more  enchanting  than  are  borne  by  the  dogbanes.  This  one  grows 
mostly  in  fields  and  thickets  and  is  especially  a  favourite  with  honey-bees  ;  as 
its  erect,  little  flowers  are  possessed  of  five  nectar-bearing  glands.  Formerly 
the  genus  was  thought  to  be  very  poisonous  to  dogs. 

A.  atidroscEinifbliiim,  spreading  dogbane,  or  honey-bloom,  is  the  more  com- 
mon species  found  through  open  woods  and  fields.  Its  drooping,  dainty 
bloom  is  considerably  larger  than  that  of  its  foregoing  relative.  Most  deli- 
cately also  are  the  corollas'  revolute,  spreading  lobes  tinted  with  pink  and  then 
veined  with  a  deep,  rich  colour.  These  tiny  lines  in  fact  are  the  foot- 
paths for  nectar-seeking  bees.  The  flowers  hang  moreover  from  blood-red 
stalks.  Another  English  name  of  the  plant  is  "  bitter  bloom,"  and  it,  also, 
has  been  credited  with  being  poisonous  to  dogs. 


PLATE  CXLV.     Amsonia  angustifolia. 
(434) 


THE  MILKWEED  FAMILY.  435 

THE  MILKWEED  FAMILY. 

A  sclcp  ia  da  cccc. 

Shrubs,  vines  or  pereimial  herbs  usuaUy  icith  milky  jiiiee,  opposite, 
alternate  or  whorled  leaves  and  distinctively  formed  Jloiuers  luhich  grow 
in  umbels  or  cymes,  and  are  regular  and  perfect. 

WHITE    niLKWEED.      {Plate  CXLVI.) 
Asclepias  7>ariegdta. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Milkweed. 

White  iifid piirpie. 

Scentless. 

Florida  to  Louisiana 
a  nd  north tva rd. 

May-July. 

Flowers:  growing  in  dense,  terminal  or  lateral,  mostly  pubescent  umbels. 
Calyx:  five-parted.  Corolla:  wlieel-shaped,  the  oval  segments  strongly  refle.xed. 
The  so-called  and  central  crown  composed  of  five  upright,  spreading  lobes,  or 
nectaries  under  which  are  borne  five  pointed,  incurved  horns.  Statnens  :  five, 
their  fringed  tips  united  and  enclosing  the  pistils.  Anthers:  attached  to  the 
filaments  by  their  bases.  Pollen  in  distinct  little  masses,  attached  by  a  thread- 
like substance.  Pistils:  two,  their  stigmas  united  to  form  the  flat,  sticky  disk. 
Fruit  :  a  pair  of  pods,  enclosing  numerous  seeds  surrounded  by  silky  hairs,  and 
one  of  which  is  often  undeveloped.  Leaves:  opposite  or  verticillate,  oval, 
obovate  or  ovate,  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex,  pointed  or  mostly  unequally 
rounded  at  the  base,  paler  below  than  on  the  upper  surface;  entire;  glabrous; 
thick.  Stejn  :  one  to  three  feet  high ;  simple,  stout,  glabrous  at  maturity,  pur- 
plish. 

Happily  for  us  a  good  Providence  has  made  these  plants  very  abundant 
and  of  wide  distribution  over  the  country  ;  for,  although  they  are  stigmatised 
as  weeds,  where  shall  we  find  a  genus  of  more  sturdy,  vigorous  personality, 
or  often  with  more  gorgeous  heads  of  flowers  ?  So  intricate  in  construction 
are  the  individual  blossoms  that  not  only  does  the  fact  make  them  readily 
recognisable,  but  it  gives  them  a  unique  interest.  Primarily,  they  seem  to 
have  been  devised  to  lure  into  themselves  bees,  which  are  necessary  to  carr)' 
the  pollen-masses  from  one  blossom  to  another,  as  these  rest  too  low  in  the 
crown  ever  to  be  able  of  themselves  to  touch  the  stigma.  But  even  these 
clumsy  creatures  do  not  give  their  services  for  nothing.  They  have  appetites 
which  must  be  pampered,  and  so  under  the  hoods  is  provided  a  feast  of  nectar 
which  naturally  could  not  be  held  by  the  refle.xed  corolla-lobes.  After  sip- 
ping to  satiety,  then,  the  poor  old  things  move  off,  often  with  the  filmy 
threads  of  the  pollen  masses  entangled  about  their  legs.  Unconsciously  then 
they  shake  them  off  on  the  stigma  of  another  flower,  and  the  wheels  are  set  in 
motion  which  later  in  the  season  show  us  so    many  bursting  pods  and  out- 

L floating  seeds  tufted  as  softly  as  with  nestle-down. 
Usually  in  dry,  open  woods   we  find  this   species  with  its  milk-\vhi;e  top- 


L^K'^ 


PLATE  CXLVI.  WHITE   MILKWEED.     Asclepias  varicgata. 
(436) 


^  THE  MTLKWKKI)  TAMILV.  437 

pling  heads  of  bloom.  Sentiment,  which,  it  is  said,  casts  the  verdict,  calls  it 
a  weed,     Mciy  all  such  be  as  beautiful  ! 

yi.  quadrifblia,  four-lcavcd  milkweed,  one  of  the  delicate,  slender  species 
of  wooded  slopes  and  hillsides,  bears  its  leaves  in  an  opposite  way  or  some- 
times verticillate  in  fours.  Mostly  they  are  ovate-lance(jlate  and  ia|)er  into 
margined  petioles.  The  flowers  on  long,  thread-like  and  pubescent 
pedicels  are  either  pink  or  white,  and  but  rarely  the  stem  becomes  over  two 
feet  high. 

A.  titbcrbsa,  butterlly-wced,  pleurisy,  or  orange-root  are  among  the  names 
commonly  used  for  this  most  gorgeous  member  in  a  more  than  usually 
beautiful  genus.  Its  full,  abundant  heads  of  flowers  continue  to  open  from 
June  until  September,  when,  near  and  far,  in  thick  rounded  clumps,  they  illu- 
minate the  country  like  balls  of  orange-red  flame.  With  the  exception, 
however,  of  its  bloom,  the  plant  is  coarse  and  weedy-looking,  its  alternate, 
lanceolate  leaves  growing  closely  together  and  being  covered  underneath,  as 
is  the  thick  stem,  with  a  hirsute  pubescence.  Even  above  they  are  rough  to 
the  touch.  Unfortunately,  through  the  south  the  plant  is  somewhat  out  of 
favour,  for  red-bugs,  or  chiggers,  fairly  infest  it.  Even  urchins  know  this 
well  enough  to  call  out  to  the  uninitiated  :  "  Yer'll  git  chiggers  on  yer,  if  yer 
don't  look  out." 

A.  cmerea,  ashy  milkweed,  exclusively  an  inhabitant  of  the  south,  is  found 
through  the  pine-barren  region  from  Florida  to  North  Carolina.  There  its 
umbels  are  noticed  to  be  rather  sparingly  flowered,  and  the  individual  blos- 
soms, while  purplish  without,  are  within  of  an  ashen  hue.  Through  its 
opposite,  linear  and  rather  rigid  leaves,  also,  the  plant  has  a  more  scraggly 
look  than  is  usually  presented  by  the  milkweeds.  Near  Jacksonville,  I  came 
on  several  of  them  when  their  very  slender  pods  were  bursting.  Each  of 
the  seeds  was  found  to  be  winged  all  around  and  surrounded  by  very  long, 
silky  tufts  of  hairs. 

A.  verticiUata,  w^horled  milkweed,  which  has  an  extent  of  range  from 
Florida  to  Maine  and  New  Mexico  and  is  found  generally  in  dry  exposures. 
is  known  through  its  umbels  of  greenish  white  flowers  produced  abundantly 
from  the  axils  as  well  as  at  the  ends  of  its  leafy  stalks.  Moreover  the 
leaves  are  narrowly  linear,  sessile  and  grow  in  a  verticillate  way  about  the 
stem.     Often  towards  its  summit  the  plant  is  much  branched. 

A.  iiicarnata,  swamp  milkweed,  recalls  a  crimson  species,  its  heads  being 
rather  small.  It  grows  in  swamps  and  other  low,  wet  places.  Throughout 
it  is  quite  smooth  or  merely  puberulent  near  the  summit,  seldom  over  three 
feet  high,  and  is  moreover  possessed  of  very  little  milky  juice.  Its  leaves 
are  slender,  lanceolate,  and  the  pods,  which  grow  several  in  a  cluster,  are 
very  small  but  unusually  pretty. 


438  THE  MILKWEED  FAMILY. 

Closely  allied  to  Asclepias  is  the  genus  Acerates  which  also  is  represented 
throughout  our  range  and  may  be  exemplified  by  the  Florida  milkweed, 
Acerates  Floridana,  a  beautiful  plant  with  soft  green,  linear-lanceolate  foli- 
age and  numerous  compact  umbels  of  greenish,  purple-tipped  flowers  ;  and 
also  by  the  green  milkweed,  Acerates  viridiflora,  a  somewhat  coarser  plant 
with  thick,  rather  rough  leaves.  Although  in  their  growth  and  pods  they 
are  very  similar  to  the  other  milkweeds,  they  may  always  be  distinguished  by 
the  unappendaged  corona-hoods  of  the  blossoms. 


THE  nORNINQ=QLORY  FAfllLY. 

Convolv  tc  Idcecs. 

In  our  species  herbs  with  trailing,  ascendijig  or  mostly  twifiing  stems, 
and  alterfiate  leaves  entire,  lobed,  or  finely  dissected,  and  which,  bear  reg- 
ular, perfect  fi,owers  with  ga??topetalous  corollas  growing  solitary,  or  in 
clusters. 

WILD  POTATO  VINE.     MAN-OF-THE-EARTH. 

Ipoinka  pandurata. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Morning-glory.       White ^  crivison  Scentless.         Florida  to  Ontario  May-Septe77iber. 

centre.  and  westward. 

Flowers:  two  to  three  inches  long,  showy  and  from  one  to  five  growing  on  long 
peduncles.  Calyx  :  divided  into  five  usually  unequal  divisions.  Corolla:  funnel- 
form,  the  limb  five-lobed.  Stafnens  :  included.  Seeds  :  woolly.  Z^^^z^'^j  ;  with 
long  slender  petioles,  broadly  ovate,  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and  deeply  cordate 
at  the  base;  entire  ;  dark  green  on  both  sides.  Slem  :  four  to  twelve  feet  long, 
trailing  and  twining,  rather  smooth.     Rools  :  fleshy;    very  large. 

On  little  hillocks  and  banks  or  over  the  dry  soil  of  fields  the  man-of-the- 
earth  spreads  in  summer  many  of  its  great,  white,  waxy  flowers,  effectively 
spotted  at  their  bases  with  purple.  So  luxuriant  and  delicate  in  texture  are 
they  that  many  of  us  are  minded  of  some  exotic,  while  again  they  are  re- 
garded as  common  things  best  passed  by.  For  all  know  the  look  of  morn- 
ing-glories, as  members  of  the  genus  are  indiscriminately  called,  and  this 
one  appears  to  be  King  of  them  all.  They  are,  however,  flowers  quite  with- 
out the  shade  of  mystery. 

/.  laciinbsa,  small-flowered  white  morning-glory,  arises  from  an  annual 
and  fibrous  root  and  unfolds  blossoms  less  than,  or  but  little  over,  an  inch 
long.  Its  cordate  leaves  have  occasionally  three  pointed  lobes,  and  although 
sometimes  occurring  quite  smooth  the  plant  has  usually  a  hairy  pubescence. 

I. purpiirea,  morning-glory,  the  form  with  which  w-e  are  mostly  familiar 


PLATE  CXLVII.     OESAR'S  HEAD. 


\Vhe7i  the  flower  seekers  reached  a  great  crevice  in  the  rock 
called  Ccesars  Head,  their  eyes  no  longer  sought  the  ground, 
but  rested  and  wandered  over  the  panorama  of  far-stretching 
mountains  and  the  fertile  valley  of  the  depth  below.  Could 
they  have  trodden  over  that  broad  surface,  what  discoveries 
might  they  have  7fiade;  ivhat  secrets  have  gathered  from 
Nature  s  heart  / 

On  the  rock' s  sides  grew  77tany  mosses  passing  often  in 
colour  from  those  silvery  to  others  tipped  with  pink.  Green 
clumps  of  ferns  thrust  themselves  out  from  between  the  layers  of 
crumbling  stone,  and  a  dull,  dark  groivth  i?nitating  the  rock's 
texture  clujig  to  it  tightly.  Here  also  a  few  stunted  trees 
wrestled  with  u/icertainty. 

(CXLVII.) 


THE  MORNING-GLORY  FAMILY. 


439 


and  which  freely  blooms  in  pink,  purple,  blue,  white  or  even  variegated 
tints,  has  been  naturalised  from  tropical  America  and  is  now  abundantly  es- 
caped from  cultivation.  Its  cordate  leaves  are  entire.  While  aliovicihcr 
lovely,  especially  when  it  lingers  in  bloom  so  late  that  it  sees  the  golden- 
rods  and  wild  carrots  crowding  each  other  for  space,  it  is  one  of  the  farmer's 
trials.  He  dreads  it  in  his  fields  as  he  does  the  daisy  and  finds  it  equally 
difficult  to  exterminate. 

Coiivdlvulus  repens,  trailing  bindweed,  combines  a  railur  large  white 
flower  with  sagittate  leaves,  the  basal  lobes  of  which  are  strongly  rounded 
and  but  slightly  divergent.  A  marked  peculiarity  also  of  its  Mowers  is  the 
two  ovate  bracts  which  enclose  the  calyx.  In  its  growth  its  stem  is  very 
twining,  and  mostly  it  is  found  from  Florida  to  Virginia  and  westward. 

Convolvulus  spithdjnaeus,  upright  bindweed,  is  on  the  contrary  of  as- 
cending habit  and  only  sometimes  slightly  twines  towards  its  summit.  Its 
white,  solitary  flowers  are  quite  large  and  have  their  calyxes  enclosed  by 
two  oval  bracts  acute  at  their  apices.  The  leaves  occur  either  oval  and  ob- 
tuse at  both  ends,  or  ovate-lanceolate  and  slightly  cordate  at  the  bases.  On 
both  sides  they  are  usually  pubescent.  In  rocky,  sandy  fields  it  grows  and 
from  May  until  August  is  rather  a  constant  bloomer. 

Qudnioclit  coccinea,  the  small,  red  morning-glory,  fairly  an  enchanting  lit- 
tle member  of  the  order,  casts  about  bright  red  flowers,  shading  to  orange 
in  their  centres,  and  shows  the  limb  of  its  salver-shaped  corolla  to  measure 
hardly  half-an-inch  broad.  Its  lobes  also  are  mostly  obscure.  At  their 
apices  the  graceful,  cordate  leaves  are  long  pointed.  Until  late,  very  late  in 
the  season,  these  small  blossoms  linger,  often  showing  themself  along  fences 
or  wound  tightly  about  the  stems  of  members  of  the  Compositas.  Once  I 
saw^  an  individual  which  had  climbed  to  the  top 
of  a  tall  wild  carrot,  and  very  gay  the  red  flecks 
looked  pushing  themselves  through  the  other's  flat 
heads  of  fleecy  white. 

Q.     Qudmoch't,   cypress    vine,    Indian   pink   or 
winged-leaved  ipomoea,   also   a   most   bewitching 
little  vine,  is  known  from  the  small,  red  morning-glory 
by  its  leaves  being  pinnately  divided  into  very  long,  nar- 
row segments,  and  because  the  lobes  of  its  corolla's  flat 
limb   are  ovate  and  pronounced.     It  also  is  deeply  and 
brilliantly     scarlet.      Both     of     these 
Quamoclits     have     been     naturalised 
from    tropical    America,   while    about 
many   old    gardens    from    Florida    to 
Virginia  this  one  is  seen  growing  spon- 

Qudmoclit  ^uainocfif, 


440  THE  MORNING-GLORY  FAMILY. 

taneously.  Outside  of  Jacksonville,  at  an  ostrich  farm,  I  saw  it  blooming 
in  great  patches  on  the  ground  apparently  that  the  gawky  birds,  with  their 
love  of  colour,  might  have  the  simple  pleasure  of  trampling  it  down. 


DODDER  FAMILY. 

CttscittacecE. 

A  la?'ge  family  of  slender^  tiuining  parasites  mostly  with  fuinute 
fringed  or  crenate  scales  borne  o/i  the  tube  of  the  corolla  and  accepting 
as  hosts  various  herbs  and  shrubs  to  which  they  attach  themselves  by 
means  of  minute  suckers. 

COMPACT  DODDER. 

Ciiscuta  compact  a. 

FAMILY        COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Dodder.  W/iite.  Scentless,  Texas  and  Alabama  to  Ontario.  July-Septeviber, 

Flowers:  very  small,  growing  in  dense,  sessile  clusters.  Calyx:  with  five  oval 
sepals,  crenate  on  their  edges  and  subtended  by  similar  bracts.  Corolla:  salver- 
form,  the  five  oblong,  blunt  lobes  somewhat  shorter  than  the  tube,  and  bearing 
narrow,  short  and  fringed  scales.  Stamens:  five,  included.  Capsule  :  oblong,  en- 
wrapped by  the  corolla.     A  yellowish  white  vine,  twining  about  various  shrubs. 

"  The  fair  Cuscutaceae  please  with  laboured  elegance  and  studied  ease, 
With  shy  approach  they  spread  their  dangerous  charms. 
And  round  their  victims  wind  their  wiry  arms." 

— Dr.  Erasmus  Darwin. 

Even  among  parasites  the  dodders  have  a  bad  reputation,  for  they  are 
absolutely  without  conscience,  and  moreover  their  ways  are  uncanny.  In 
the  beginning,  after  their  coiled  seeds  drop  into  the  ground,  they  germinate 
and  finally  send  up  stems  instilled  with  the  principle  of  seeking  something 
to  twine  about  and  from  which,  through  the  means  of  their  suckers,  to  draw 
a  supply  of  already  assimilated  nourishment.  As  soon  as  such  an  unfortunate 
individual  is  found,  the  original  ground-stem  withers  and  dies,  leaving  the  dod- 
der therefore  wholly  dependent  for  life  on  the  host  plant,  to  which  often  it 
wreaks  great  injury.  Frequently  we  see  the  dodders'  filiform  yellowish  stems 
forming  an  interwoven  mesh  about  some  victim  and  even  spreading  out  to 
encircle  others  in  their  coils.  As  a  genus  it  is  often  difificult  to  distinguish 
one  member  from  another,  as  their  specific  characteristics  lie  mostly  in  the 


DODDER  FAMILY.  441 

minute  scales  borne  on  the  corolla,  which  can  only  be  carefully  studied 
under  a  strong  magnifying  glass. 

C.  rostrata^  beaked  dodder,  is  peculiar  in  bearing  flowers  rather  larger 
than  are  usual  with  the  genus  and  which  grow  in  loose,  cymose  clusters. 
The  white,  campanulate  corolla  has  five  rounded  lobes  with  scales  about  its 
tube  which  are  somewhat  spatulate,  fringed  at  their  summits  and  along  the 
sides.  It  chooses  mostly  to  suck  the  life  out  of  composites  until  they  droop 
and  die.  In  fact,  often  so  tightly  does  its  yellowish  stem  twine  about  the 
host  plant  as  to  make  it  almost  invisible,  and  an  effect  is  produced  as  though 
the  dodder's  small  clumps  of  flowers  were  protruding  from  the  sides  of  the 
one  affording  support.  In  the  Alleghanies  it  is  most  abundant,  often  being 
seen  on  the  tops  of  the  highest  mountains. 

C.  arvensis,  field  dodder,  with  its  copper-coloured  thread-like  stem, gener- 
ally twines  and  retwines  itself  about  the  host  plant,  from  which  its 
flowers  can  be  seen  grow'ing  in  sessile  clusters.  These  are  small  with  a 
broad  calyx  and  campanulate  corolla  of  which  the  scales  are  densely  sur- 
rounded with  an  irregular  fringe.  Sometimes  the  dodders  form  masses  of 
considerable  beauty,  for  their  determination  to  grow  and  spread  themselves 
seems  indomitable. 


THE  PHLOX  FAMILY. 

PolevioniacecE. 
Herbs  ivith  opposite  or  alternate  leaves  entire,  dissected,   or  lohcd,  and 
which  bear  perfect,  reguhjr  /io7aers,  growing  in  cytnes,  or  panicles,  their 
corollas  being ganiopetalous  and  the  lifnb  Jive-parted. 

DOWNY   PHLOX. 

Phlox  pilbsa. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Phlox.  White-pink  or  Purple  Scentless.  Florida  and  fcxas  April-June. 

to  Ontario. 

Flowers  :  growing  in  terminal  cymes  on  short,  pubescent  peduncles.  Cd/v.i.- 
with  five  awl-shaped  teeth,  viscid.  Corolla  :  salver-shaped,  the  tube  slender  and 
the  obovate  lobes  mostly  rounded  at  the  apices.  Stamens  :  short,  unequally  in- 
serted on  the  tube  of  the  corolla.  Lca7't-s  :  opposite  ;  sessile  ;  linear  or  lanceo- 
late;  spreading;  entire.  Ston:  erect;  one  to  two  feet  high  ;  simple  or  branched, 
pubescent. 

Until  I  had  seen  some  species  of  phloxes  spread  out  in  dense  masses  and 
showing  unbroken    patches    of   pure  and  brilliant    colours,    1    had    always 


442  THE  PHLOX  FAMILY. 

thought  them  to  be  rather  ugly  plants,  too  stilted  and  conventional  looking 
to  approach  the  beautiful.  But  to  do  away  with  this  idea  one  has  only  to 
see  the  little  one,  Phlox  subulata,  covering  hundreds  of  acres,  or  the  crawling 
one,  Phlox  reptans  as  it  lays  over  the  ground  its  carpet  of  bloom.  Thus 
truly  they  are  an  enchanting  sight.  There  are  also  many  species  of  them, 
each  with  a  more  or  less  distinctive  personality.  In  our  study  of  the  flowers 
we  could  in  no  circumstances  pass  them  by. 

Phldx pilbsa  prefers  to  grow  in  dry  uplands  or  in  sandy  soil  of  the  pine- 
barrens  and  over  a  range  of  considerable  extent.  Those  that  I  saw  in 
Florida  were  not  branched,  and  while  their  very  pubescent  stems  were  as- 
cending they  appeared  unusually  weak. 

P.  reptafis,  crawling  phlox,  a  beautiful  dwarf  form,  shows  its  large  flowers 
in  one  of  the  delicate  pink,  or  purple,  shades  and  through  our  range  is  mostly 
to  be  found  in  the  mountains,  where  on  moist  slopes  or  valleys  it  sometimes 
covers  the  ground.  Although  the  flowering  stems  are  ascending,  it  is  to  be 
noticed  that  creeping  and  sterile  shoots  also  start  off  from  its  base.  Their 
leaves  are  obovate  and  narrowed  into  a  petiole,  while  those  of  the  regular 
stems  are  mostly  oblong,  or  lanceolate.  In  fruit  the  linear  and  downy  calyx 
segments  become  much  recurved. 

P.  ovata,  mountain  phlox,  is  another  species  occurrent  through  the  moun- 
tains. In  fact  on  the  high  peaks  of  western  North  Carolina  it  was  so  pro- 
lifically  in  bloom  in  late  August  that  it  fairly  coloured  with  its  pinkish 
lavender  corolla  the  roadside  banks  and  brightened  immense  patches 
through  the  woods.  Its  upper  ovate  or  lanceolate-ovate  leaves  clasp  the 
stem  with  slightly  cordate  bases,  w^hile  the  lower  ones  and  those  of  the 
sterile  shoots  usually  taper  into  long  petioles.  It  is  always  a  very  erect 
plant  and  at  most  about  two  feet  high. 

P.  siibiildta,  ground  or  moss  pink,  than  which  no  other  phlox  is  hand- 
somer, spreads  over  rocky,  dry  soil  a  carpet  of  fine,  moss-like  foliage,  the 
tiny  leaves  being  linear,  lanceolate,  and  abundant,  and  from  their  midst 
arise  the  flowering  stems.  Of  the  small  corolla  the  lobes  are  quaintly 
obcordate  and  occur  in  either  white,  pink  or  purple.  From  April  until  June 
the  little  plant  blooms  prolifically,  and  it  possesses  the  further  charm  of  being 
evergreen.  Its  range  extends  from  Florida  to  the  southern  part  of  New 
York. 

RAVEN  FOOTED  GILIA.     {Plate  CXLVIII.) 
Gili'a  rubra. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Phlox.  Scarlet.  Scentless.  Florida  to  South  Carolina  Jitty. 

and  westward. 

Floivers  :  very  showy,  growing  in  a  long  terminal  and  leafy  compound  raceme. 
Calyx:  bell-shaped;  with  five-linear  lobes.     Corolla:  tubular,  funnel-form  \  spread- 


PLATE   CXLVIll.      RAVEN-FOOTED  GILIA.      Ci/ia  rubra. 

COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY    FREDERICK  A.    STOKES   COMPANY 
PR  NTED     IN    AMERIC^ 


THE  PHLOX  FA^HLV.  443 

ing  towards  the  apex,  five-Iohed.  Stamens  :  five,  inserted  on  the  corolla,  slightly 
exserted.  Leaves:  scattered,  finely  and  pinnatcly  dissected,  the  division  acute  and 
filiform.     Stem:  erect ;  simple,  very  leafy. 

Truly  a  most  charming  plant  is  the  raven-footed  gilia,  as  amid  its  sandy 
surroundings  it  stands  erect  and  throws  out  its  peculiarly  pink-tinted  scarlet 
flowers.  Its  stalk  when  well  developed  is  closely  packed  with  such  shim- 
mering bloom,  and  although  of  a  more  delicate  texture  the  flowers  appear  as 
gorgeous  as  do  those  of  many  a  garden  gladiolus.  Among  the  large  genus, 
which  is  chiefly  western  in  its  distribution,  this  gilia  with  fine  f(jliagc  sug- 
gestive of  a  raven's  footprint  has  been  chosen  for  description,  as  none  other 
is  more  noticeable. 

THE  WATER=LEAF  FAHILY. 

Hydroph) '  llacea. 
Mostly  pubescent  herbs   with   basal  or  alternate  leaves^  palmately  or 
pinnately  divided',  and  ivhich  produce  re^^ular^  perfect  /loicers  trroiving 
rarely  solitary  a  fid  in  various  forms  of  inflorescences^  their  parts  being 
in  fives. 

LARGE  LEAVED  WATER=LEAF. 

Hydrophylluui  niacropliy/Iuui. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Water-leaf.  Yello7visk  ^vliite.       Scentless.      Alabama  and  rennessce  .'/</ 1 . 

north  zua  rd. 

Floivers :  growing  in  a  terminal,  simple  or  forked  cyme.  Calyx  :  deeply  five-cleft 
and  covered  with  rigid,  white  hairs.  Corolla  :  five-lobed,  with  an  apj^endage  op|)ositc 
each  lobe.  Stamens:  five;  exserted;  filaments  slender;  bearded;  anthers,  at- 
tached at  the  middle.  Capsule:  globose;  very  hairy  ;  enclosed  in  the  persistent 
calyx.  Leaves:  from  the  base  and  alternate  on  the  stem,  with  long,  stout  and 
hairy  petioles  ;  pinnately  divided  into  seven  to  thirteen  oval  segments,  bluntlv 
pointed  at  their  apices  and  coarsely  dentate  ;  pubescent ;  bright-green  above,  paler 
below;  thin.  Stems:  one  to  three  feet  high:  very  pubescent  and  arising  from  a 
scaly  rootstock. 

As  well  as  for  other  noted  inhabitants,  we  search  the  trail  through  moist 
w^oods  for  this  water-leaf,  which  is  pretty  and  has  been  so  named,  as  others 
of  the  genus,  not  that  they  are  aquatics,  but  because  each  leaf  is  so  indented 
that  it  might  hold  water.  Usually  they  are  striking-looking  plants,  perhaps 
a  little  weedy  sometimes,  and  possessed  of  an  interesting  feature  in  the 
feathery  hairs  of  their  flower's  filaments. 

//.  Virginictun,  Virginia  water-leaf,  in  opposition  to  its  relative,  is  but  a 
sparingly  pubescent  plant  with  its  five  to  seven  leaf  segments  acute  at  their 
apices.  In  the  high  mountains  of  North  Carolina  it  is  especially  generous 
with  its  dark  violet  bloom. 


444  THE  WATER-LEAF  FAMILY. 

LOOSE  FLOWERED  PHACELIA. 

Phacclia  bipi^matifida. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Water-leaf.        Deep  blue.  See  tit  less.        Alabama  to  North  Carolina  April-June. 

and  westward. 

Flo7uers :  gxo^'mg  in  loose,  terminal,  slightly  scorpioid  racemes.  Calyx  :  \\\\\\ 
five  linear,  hairy  sepals.  Corolla  :  campanulate  ;  flaring  towards  the  summit  and 
having  five  rounded  lobes,  also  small  appendages  in  pairs  between  the  stamens. 
Statnens:  ten  on  the  corolla,  exserted,  and  having  purple  hairy  filaments.  Anthers: 
attached  at  the  middle.  Pistil :  one  with  a  two-branched  style.  Leaves  :  alternate, 
with  slender  hairy  petioles,  pinnately  divided  or  twice  so  into  from  three  to  seven 
ovate  or  oblong  segments  acute  at  the  apex,  cleft  and  toothed  ;  bright  green  above; 
lighter  below;  thin.     Stem:  one  to  two  feet  high,  much  branched,  hairy. 

This  species  of  Phaceiia  shows  us  very  little  of  the  scorpion-like  coiled 
arrangement  of  the  flower  clusters  which  is  so  apparent  in  some  western 
members  of  the  genus.  Its  little  blossoms  also,  while  suggesting  to  us  those 
of  the  water-leaf,  have  ten  little  appendages  on  the  corolla  which  help 
greatly  in  distinguishing  the  group  from  other  flowers.  Along  shady  slopes 
and  by  streams  it  is  found,  and  often  towards  the  base  its  stem  shows  the 
same  purplish  tone  that  darkens  many  of  the  flowers. 

P.fimbriata,  fringed  or  mountain  Phaceiia,  grows  through  the  woods  from 
Virginia  to  Alabama.  That  the  lobes  of  its  leaves  are  obtuse  and  the  seg- 
ments of  the  white  corolla  deeply  fringed  at  their  summits  affords  us  a  ready 
means  for  its  di-stinction. 


THE  BORAGE  FAMILY. 

Bo7'aginacecB. 

In  our  species.,  herbs  or  shrubs  with  mostly  alternate.,  entire  aiid  pubes- 
cent leaves^  and  which  bear  perfect  and  regular  flowers  in  one-sided  spikes, 
or  racemes  which  have  been  coiled  in  the  bud. 

As  conspicuous  members  of  the  Borage  family,  and  yet  weeds  which  have 
been  introduced  into  this  country,  we  encounter  frequently  throughout  the 
summer  Echium  vulgare,  the  beautiful  blue-weed  or  viper's  bug-loss,  thriving 
lustily  in  meadows  and  by  the  borders  of  sandy  roads  ;  and  the  hound's- 
tongue  or  gipsy-flower,  cynoglossum  officinale,  which  while  glorifying  many 
waste  places  with  its  beauty  becomes,  through  the  pastures,  most  trouble- 
some to  the  farmer. 


THE  BORAGE  EAMILY. 


445 


SEA-SIDE  HELIOTROPE. 

Hcliotrbpium  Ciirassd7  'icion . 


FAMILY  COLOUR 

Borate.         IVhite  or  l>/ne. 


ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Scoiticss.  Texas  and  Florida  to  North         May-SeJ>timbtr. 

Carolina  and  I'irginia. 

Flmoers:  small;  growing  densely  in  a  one-sided  sjnke  on  a  coiled,  often  two- 
parted  peduncle.  Calyx:  persistent;  with  five-pointed  segments.  Corolla:  salver- 
shaped,  with  five  rounded  lobes.  Stametis:  included,  their  filaments  short  or  almost 
none.  Leaves:  alternate,  linear,  or  oblanceolate,  blunt  at  the  apex  and  narrowed 
into  petioles  at  the  base,  or  sessile  ;  entire  ;  smooth  ;  slightly  glaucous.  Stem  :  six 
to  eighteen  inches  long  ;  diffuse  ;  smooth. 

Along  the  great,  spreading  seashore, 
or  through  saline  marshes,  where  this 
wild  heliotrope  blows,  it  seems  a  small 
thing  indeed  to  cover  them  so  well  as 
often  it  does  in  places.  Its  little  face 
is  white,  with  a  yellow  eye,  and  curi- 
ously changes  at  times  to  blue.  It  also 
turns  that  it  may  follow  the  sun  in 
his  course.  By  its  one-sided  spike  of 
flowers  which  was  coiled  in  the  bud  we 
are  at  once  reminded  of  its  relatives 
in  cultivation. 

H.Europd:um,  European  heliotrope, 
has  become  naturalised  in  this  coun- 
try or  is  adventive  from  Europe  and 
shows  white  flowers  in  its  solitary, 
scorpioid  spikes  and  in  the  terminal  ones  which  are  usually  in  pairs.  Again 
the  plant  is  known  by  a  roughness,  produced  by  fine,  very  short  hairs. 

H.  Indicuin,  Indian  heliotrope, not  infrequently  encountered  from  Florida 
to  North  Carolina  and  about  northern  seaports,  has  become  naturalised 
from  India,  where  as  in  other  warm  regions  it  thrives  abundantly  as  a  weed. 


VIRGINIA  COWSLIP.     TREE  LUNGWORT. 


Mertmsia    Vzrgim'ca. 


TIME  OF  BLOOM 
March-May. 


FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE 

Borage.        Light  bluish        Scentless.  South  Carolina  to  A'ew  Jersey 

purple.  and  Ontario. 

/7i7w^rj  .' showy,  growing  in  short  corymb-like  racemes.  Calyx-lobes:  blunt; 
small.  Corolla:  trumpet-shaped,  the  tube  expanded  above  and  considerably  longer 
than  the  slightly  five-lobed  limb;  not  crested  in  the  throat.  Stamens  :  inserted  on 
the  corolla-tube.  Filaments:  thread-like.  Leaves:  alternate;  oblong  or  oval, 
fhose  uppermost  almost  sessile  and  the  lower  ones  tapering  into  margined  peti- 
oles.    Stem :  one  to  two  feet ;  stout ;  glabrous  ;  branched  or  simple. 


446  THE  BORAGE  FAMILY. 

One  might  better  have  remained  asleep  than  to  be  so  unfortunate  as  to 
let  the  spring-time  pass  without  finding  somewhere  the  Virginia  cowslip,  if 
located  within  its  range, — as  beautiful  a  plant  as  one  might  wish  to  see. 
Sometimes  it  is  called  blue-bells,  although  usually  the  flowers  show  strongly 
a  purplish  tint.  Many  of  those  in  the  clusters  raise  themselves  upright, 
while  others  droop  their  heads.  In  searching  for  it  one  should  follow  the 
streams,  or  cross  and  recross  the  moist  meadows. 

SPRING  SC0RPI0N=GRA5S.  FORGET=ME=NOT. 

Myosbtis  Virginica. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Borage.  White.  Scentless,  Texas  and  Florida  April-June. 

to  Maine, 

Flowers :  ^xoyi\x^^  in  one-sided  racemes  usually  bracted  at  the  base,  their  pedi- 
cels mostly  erect.  Calyx:  unequally  five-cleft,  hispid.  Corolla:  salver-form; 
five-lobed,  crested  in  the  throat.  Stajfiens:  five,  included.  Leaves:  alternate; 
linear  oblong,  or  obovate;  sessile  or  the  lower  ones  narrowed  into  short  petioles  ; 
entire.  Stem  :  erect ;  three  to  fifteen  inches  high,  branched  and  covered  with  a 
hispid  pubescence. 

Earlier  in  the  season  than  any  other  of  its  relatives,  this  pubescent  little 
thing  unfolds  its  bloom  on  dry  hillsides.  Bright  apd  early  one  must  be  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  those  flowers  that  blow  from  the  lower  part  of  its  stems, 
for  usually  when  it  is  found  only  a  few  small  ones  are  seen  tipping  the  ends 
of  its  scorpion-like,  slender  raceme. 

M.  Icixa,  smaller  forget-me-not,  recalls  the  little  plant  familiarly  known  ; 
the  gentle  inspiration  to  sentiment.  Usually  it  hovers  about  wet,  muddy 
places,  and  not  the  least  of  its  attractions  is  the  crimson-pinky  colour  of  its 
tiny  buds.  The  racemes  bear  loosely  their  dainty,  little  blue  flowers  with 
lively-looking,  yellow  eyes. 

M.  paliistris,  forget-me-not,  or  snake  grass,  is  only  seen  through  our 
range  as  an  escape,  it  being  a  native  of  Europe  and  Asia. 

THE  VERVAIN  FAMILY. 

Verbe7idcece. 

Shrubs  or  herbs  with  opposite,  verticillate,  rarely  alternate  leaves,  and 
which  bear  perfect,  ?-egular  or  so??iewhat  irregular  flowers  produced  in 
terminal,  or  axillary  forms  of  infloresce?ices. 

To  this  family  belong  also  some  tropical  trees,  and  the  chaste-tree,  Vitex 


THE    VERVAIN  FAMILY.  447 

agnus-castus,  sending  out  its  sprays  of  soft  white,  or  lilac,  bloom,  a  most 
lovely  exotic  shrub,  is  a  most  striking  representative  as  through  our  range  it 
occurs,  having  escaped  from  cultivation.  The  so-called  t>ench  mulberry, 
Callicarpa  Americana,  a  native  shrub,  is  abundant  in  places  throughout  the 
south,  and,  on  account  of  its  highly  coloured  fruit,  very  attractive. 

LARQE-FLOWERED  VERBENA. 

Verbaia    Canadensis. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

/  't-rvain. 

Purple  or 
white. 

Scentless. 

Floy  ilia  to  .Wntli  Carol  ina 
(I lid  ivestward. 

Muy-.\  ut:ujir. 

Flmuers :  growing  abundantly  in  terminal,  bracted  spikes.  Calyx:  tuhiilar. 
pubescent,  slender,  with  five  ihread-like  teeth,  and  longer  than  the  bracts.  Cor- 
olla  :  salver-sliapecl  ;  the  tube  long:  bearded  in  the  throat,  the  five  lobes  notched  at 
the  summit.  Sldmi-us  :  four,  included.  Leaves  :  ovate  or  ovate-lanceolate  in  out- 
line pointed  at  the  summit,  cuneate  at  the  base  and  tapering  into  long,  margined 
petioles  ;  pinnately  thrice  lobed,  the  divisions  deeply  toothed  and  hairy.  Stetn  : 
two  to  fifteen  inches  high,  ascending,  branched,  hairy. 

Almost  do  we  regard  this  verbena  as  unusual  when  we  find  it  blossom- 
ing through  the  dry  soil  of  pastures,  so  very  accustomed  have  we  become  to 
the  hybrids  produced  from  it  and  the  western  V.  bipinnatifida  which  now 
are  abundantly  seen  in  cultivation.  With  its  large,  showy  Mowers,  it  is  of 
course  quite  different  looking  from  the  well  simpler's  joy,  although  the  plants 
are  closely  related. 

By  the  ancients  the  name  verbena,  we  find,  was  most  generally  used  to 
designate  various  plants  connected  with  religious  observances;  and,  there- 
fore, we  can  hardly  surround  these  particular  inhabitants  of  the  new  world 
with  the  sacred  lore  which  no  doubt  their  relatives  long  years  ago  insti- 
gated, 

V.  Caroliniana  is  of  different  personality  from  that  of  the  large-flowered 
verbena  and  has  a  rather  coarse,  weedy  look.  Its  small  flesh-coloured  flowers 
are  clustered  in  long  slender  spikes,  and  the  obovate  or  oblanceolate  leaves 
are  simple  and  nearly  sessile.  About  their  margins  they  are  sharply  and 
irregularly  serrate.  Quite  frequently  one  encounters  the  plant  in  old  fields 
about  Jacksonville,  or  through  dry  barrens  as  far  northward  as  North  Carolina. 

V.  angiistifblia,  narrow-leaved  vervain,  occurs  from  Florida  to  Mass- 
achusetts and  westward  and  sends  forth  a  long,  linear  spike  on  which  are 
seen  many  small  purple  or  blue  flowers.  Its  leaves  are  linear,  or  spatulate- 
lanceolate,  contracted  at  the  base  into  short  petioles. 

V.  hastata,  blue  vervain  or  simpler's  joy,  the  common  species  seen  so 
abundantly  through  moist  meadows  and  in  waste  places  when  the  com- 
posites are  in  bloom,  grows  at  times  as  high  as  seven  feet,  and  is  usually 


448  THE  VERVAIN  FAMILY. 

much  branched  near  its  summit.  Its  purplish-blue  flowers  although  very 
small  are  often  thrust  out  so  prolifically  that  they  form  thick  masses  of 
colour,  while  again  but  here  and  there  a  few  scraggly  ones  appear  in  the 
spikes.  As  we  see  it  sometimes  in  abundance  over  waste  tracts  of  ground 
we  lose  faith  in  the  old  superstition  that  it  will  thrive  near  a  man's  dwelling 
only.  It  has  long,  however,  been  a  favourite  with  "  yarb  "  and  witch-doctors 
many  of  whom  still  claim  that  it  is  able  to  avert  disaster.  Witches  used  it  in 
mixing  love-philtres  and  also  as  a  protection  to  themselves  during  their 
incantations.  On  the  contrary  also  it  was  of  repute  "  to  hinder  witches 
from  their  will.'" 


THE  MINT  FAMILY. 

Labiates. 

Trees  aiid  shrubs,  hut  mostly  herbs,  7vith  puugent  odours^  simple, 
opposite  leaves,  four-sided  stems;  and  which  bear  perfect,  irregular 
flowers  with  labiate  corollas  growing  usually  in  cymes  although  also 
occurring  in  other  forms  of  itijlorescences. 

Ever  through  the  summer  the  mints  are  before  us  in  our  rambles.  They 
crop  up  almost  everywhere ;  for  many  of  them  are  common  things,  often  not 
over  attractive.  En  passant,  therefore,  but  not  stopping  to  scan  them 
closely,  they  being  too  well  known,  we  quickly  recall : 

Glecbma  hederacea,  ground  ivy,  or  gill-over-the-ground,  which  in  the  spring, 
through  open  lots  and  pastures  shows  constantly  its  small  blue  flowers.  It 
is  a  European,  and  now  most  abundantly  naturalised  in  this  country.  To 
it  are  closely  related  : 

Nepeta  Cataria,  the  common  catnip  or  catmint,  also  a  European  weed 
and  long  famed  for  its  ability  to  cure  cats  of  their  various  indispositions. 

Marriibium  vulgare,  still  another  of  the  mints  which  are  abundantly 
seen  in  waste  places.     It  is  a  native  of  Europe  and  Asia. 

Primclla  vulgaris,  self-heal,  or  heal-all,  blooms  constantly  from  May 
until  October  along  the  waysides,  but  seldom  crowns  its  thick,  leafy  spike 
with  more  than  a  few  pinkish,  purple  flowers  at  the  same  time.  It  also  is  a 
native  of  Europe  and  Asia  and  in  several  countries  is  of  repute  among  the 
working  classes  as  being  able  to  cure  wounds.  Its  pretty  English  name  is 
heart-of-the-earth. 

Ldmiuin  purpiireum,  sweet  archangel,  rabbit-meat,  or  red  dead  nettle 


THE  MINT  FAMILY. 


440 


also  from  Europe  and  Asia,  has  perhaps  secured  its  strong  foothold  in  this 
country  through  the  transportation  of  its  seeds  in  ballast.  It  is  a  cheerful 
little  thing  and  blooms  in  succession  from  April  until  October. 

Mentha  spicata^  our  lady's  mint,  more  generally  called  spearmint,  and 
Mentha  piperita,  peppermint,  or  brandy-mint,  are  both  naturalised  in  this 
country  and  well  known  inhabitants  of  wet  or  sparsely  moist  soil. 

AMERICAN  GERMANDER.     WOOD  SAGE. 

Tciicrium  Caiiadense. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mint.  rurplisk.         Foliage  frag  rajit.         Florida  to  New  Brutis-  J  une-^eptinucr . 

■wick  and ^vcst'ward. 

Flcnvcrs :  growing  densely  in  a  long,  terminal  spike,  the  lower  bracts  of  which 
are  considerably  larger  than  the  upper  ones.  Calyx  :  campanulatc,  with  five  pu- 
bescent teeth,  the  ui)per  three  of  which  are  usually  obtuse  and  shorter.  CotolUi- 
tube  :  short,  the  five  lobes  irregular.  Stamens  :  four,  in  pairs,  the  anterior  pair  the 
longer  and  exserted  between  the  two  upper  lobes  of  the  corolla.  Lc'arrs :  lanceo- 
late, with  slender  petioles  and  narrowed  at  the  base  ;  irregularly  dentate;  yellow- 
green  above  and  silvery  velvety  below,  pubescent.  Stem:  one  to  two  feet  high; 
mostly  simple  or  branched;  slender;  covered  with  a  greyish  pubescence. 

No  matter  how  often  we  run  across  them,  however  weedy-looking  they 
may  be,  there  is  something  about  the  mints  that  makes  them  always  wel- 
come. Perhaps  it  is  because  their  foliage  is  rich  in  a  volatile  oil  which 
causes  them  to  exhale  a  pungent,  invigourating  odour.  Clean-cut  and  fresh 
they  usually  are,  sometimes  tall  and  very  handsome,  never  losing  in  any  case 
the  family  resemblance. 

This  particular  one  grows  in  marshes  and  moist,  sandy  soil.  Througii 
our  range  it  is  the  commonest  of  its  genus  and  is  named  for  the  Trojan 
king,  Teucer. 

BLUE=CURLS.     BASTARD  PENNYROYAL. 

Trichostnia  dichotoniuju. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mint.         Deep  blue  turning  Fragrant.  Florida  to  Maine  and  J uly-i\tol-er. 

to  pit  rple.  zvestiva rd. 

Fhnvers:  solitarv,  or  growing  in  slender  panicles  at  the  ends  of  twice-bractcd 
])eduncles.  Calyx:  campanula'te  ;  very  unequally  five-lobed  ;  pubescent.  Corolla- 
tube:  short,  the^limb  deeply  five-cleft.  6'/</w///j  .•  violet,  five,  exserted,  curved. 
Pistil:  one;  style  two-lobed.  Leaves:  oblong,  or  oblong-lanceolate,  blunt  at  the 
apex  and  narrowed  into  a  short  petiole  at  the  base,  entire,  clammy.  Stem:  slen- 
der; stiff,  much-branched  and  covered  with  a  viscid  pubescence. 

To  many  the  personality  of  blue-curls  appeals  as  with  a  subtle  magnetism. 
I  have  heard  it  called  "  the  dearest  little  plant,"  and  cpiaint  it  surely  is  with 
a  look  of  being  elaborately  wrought,  for  a  thing  so  small.  Many  also 
delight  in  its  rather  peculiar  fragrance,  while  to  others  it  is  strongly  objec- 


450  THE  MINT  FAMILY. 

tionable.  Certainly,  however,  in  spite  of  these  pros  and  cons  a  number  of 
its  little  sprigs  together  make  a  most  fascinating  and  odd  looking  bouquet. 
To  the  many  bolder  plants  of  the  early  autumn  they  form  also  a  strong  con- 
trast. The  generic  name  from  the  Greek  is  in  allusion  to  the  slender  fila- 
ments. 

SHOWY  SKULLCAP. 

Scutellaria  se?'?-dla. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mint.  Blue.  Scentless.  North  Carolina  and  Kentucky  May,  June. 

to  New  York  and  westward. 

Flowers:  showy,  growing  opposite  each  other  in  bracted,  terminal  racemes. 
Calyx:  campanulate,  two-lipped;  the  upper  lip  with  a  protuberance  or  cap  on  its 
back.  Corolla :  two-lipped,  inflated,  the  upper  lip  shorter,  arched  or  helmet- 
shaped,  the  lower  one  spreading  and  reflexed  ;  lateral  lobes  attached  to  the  upper 
lip.  Stamens:  four,  concealed  in  the  upper  lip.  Pistil:  one.  Leaves:  ovate,  or 
elliptical  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  the  margined,  pubescent 
petiole,  dentate  ;  deep  green  above ;  lighter  below  ;  thin  ;  slightly  pubescent.  Stem  : 
one  to  two  feet  high;  erect ;  simple  or  branched,  leafy,  glabrous  below,  pubescent 
above. 

Through  woodlands  or  often  where  bright  streams  spirt  out  from  the  hill- 
sides, we  have  a  good  chance  of  finding  some  member  at  least  of  this  un- 
usually attractive  group  of  mints,  and  among  all  of  whose  American  species 
this  one  is  possibly  the  most  beautiful.  In  the  little  cap,  or  helmet-like  ap- 
pendage which  closes  down  over  the  mouth  of  the  calyx  they  possess  a  quaint 
characteristic,  its  purpose  being  possibly  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  seeds 
while  they  are  ripening,  although  the  plant  is  sometimes  deciduous.  As 
soon  as  they  have  reached  maturity  the  cap  usually  falls  and  allows  the 
seeds  to  drop  out  at  their  will. 

S.  cordifblia,  heart-leaved  skullcap,  is  also  a  showy  plant  with  lively-look- 
ing blue  flowers  borne  in  densely  glandular-pubescent  panicles  or  simple 
racemes.  In  fact,  nearly  the  whole  plant  is  pubescent  and  the  corolla  even 
marked  with  short  hairs.  From  Florida  it  hardly  extends  further  northward 
than  Pennsylvania,  growing  usually  along  the  streams'  borders  and  through 
light,  open  woodlands. 

S.  montdfta  {Plate  CXLIX)  presents  to  us  a  species  described  by  Dr. 
Chapman  and  one  exclusively  of  the  south  where  it  grows  through  the 
mountainous  woods  and  fields  of  Georgia.  Of  its  rather  large  blue  flowers 
the  lower  lip  quite  rivals  the  upper  one  in  length,  and  in  manner  of  growth 
the  plant  is  simple  and  covered  with  a  soft  pubescence. 

S.pilbsa,  hairy  skullcap,  while  flourishing  over  quite  an  extended  range, 
appears  to  grow  most  luxuriantly  in  the  high  mountains  of  the  AUeghanies, 
although  with  a  range  extending  from  Florida  and  Texas  to  New  York  and 
Michigan.    It  is  in  any  place,  however,  a  most  graceful  member  of  the  genus. 


PLATE   CXLIX.     Scutellaria  monlaiia. 
(450 


452  THE  MINT  FAMILY. 

Noticeable  about  its  flowers  is  the  fact  that  the  corolla  is  nearly  glabrous, 
and  while  the  stem  is  pubescent  below  it  is  above  quite  glandular. 

S.  integrifblia,  hyssop  skullcap  with  its  linear,  oblong  entire  leaves  and 
blue  flowers  having  white  undersides,  is  another  very  attractive  individual 
and  continues  to  bloom  from  May  until  August.  Often  the  larger  lower  lip 
is  longer  than  the  upper,  arched  one  and  is  much  drooped. 

Macbridea   pulchra. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME    OF    BLOOM 

Mint. 

Rose-furple 
and  white. 

Scentless. 

Georgia  and  Alabama  to 
North  Carolina. 

A  Jtgust,  September. 

Flowers  :  growing  in  axillary  whorles  of  mostly  four  each.  Calyx:  furrowed, 
the  three  lobes  entire.  Corolla  :  long,  inflated,  two-lipped,  the  upper  one  entire, 
arched,  the  lower  one  three-lobed  and  spreading.  Stamens  :  four  hairy  filaments. 
Leaves:  oval  or  lanceolate,  tapering  to  a  point  at  the  apex  and  at  the  base  into 
margined  petioles  or  the  uppermost  sessile,  remotely  dentate;  thin;  smooth;  dotted. 
Stem  :  one  to  two  feet,  erect,  simple,  or  branching  at  the  summit. 

Very  excusable  one  might  be  for  mistaking  this  pretty  plant  for  a  Scutel- 
laria, so  much  does  it  generally  resemble  that  genus,  but  on  a  closer  examina- 
tion it  is  found  that  its  calyx  is  not  two-lipped,  nor  has  it  any  little  cap  to 
close  down  over  and  protect  the  forming  seeds. 

OBEDIENT  PLANT.  FALSE  DRAGON  HEAD. 

Pliysostegia   Virginiatia. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mi  tit. 

Crimso  n  -p  u  rple. 

Scentless. 

Florida  to  Canada 
and  westward. 

J ul}\  A  ugust. 

Flowers:  growing  closely  in  a  dense  spike  on  short,  bracted  flower-stalks. 
Calyx:  bell-shaped  with  five  sharp  and  equal  teeth.  Corolla:  funnel-form;  in- 
flated, two-lipped;  the  upper  one  arched  and  broad,  the  lower  one  with  three  spread- 
ing lobes  of  which  the  central  one  is  i^ale  and  dotted  with  a  deeper  colour.  Statneits: 
four,  in  pairs  on  the  corolla  the  filaments  pubescent.  Pistil :  one;  style,  two- 
lobed.  Leaves:  opposite;  lanceolate;  serrate;  smooth.  Stem:  erect;  slightly 
branched;  one  to  four  feet  high. 

Although  we  may  not  be  so  fortunate  as  to  find  the  obedient  plant  in  the 
wildest  parts  of  its  range,  there  is  still  a  chance  that,  near  some  cabin's  door- 
way when  the  women  sit  silently  peeling  apples,  we  may  catch  a  glint  of  its 
brilliant  colouring.  For  somehow  it  has  the  look  and  qualities  that  render 
it  a  chosen  one  for  planting  with  lady's  slippers,  bleeding-hearts  and  other 
plants  called  old-fashioned.  In  the  east  it  is  probably  only  as  an  escape 
that  it  is  seen.  A  curious  point  about  the  delicate  flowers  is  that  they  seem 
to  be  overpowered  by  lassitude.  They  have  no  elasticity.  So  when  one  is 
turned  with  the  thumb  and  finger  to  another  than  its  original  position  in  the 
spike,  it  makes  no  effort  to  rebound,  but  remains  most  obediently  wherever 
it  is  put, 


THE  MINT  FAMILY.  453 

NARROW-LEAVED  SAGE.     {Plate  CL.) 
Salvia  aziirca. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mint.  Blue  or  white.  Scentless.  Florida  to  .\\u  tk  Carolina        J uly-Octobdr. 

wcativaril. 

Flowers:  growing  in  whorles  of  from  two  to  twelve  in  slender  elongated  racemes. 
Calyx:  two-lipped;  the  upper  one  entire,  ovate;  the  lower  one  having  two  small 
acute  teeth,  pubescent.  Corolla:  tubular,  two-lipped,  the  u])per  lip  concave  and 
enclosing  the  two  anther-bearing  stamens  ;  lower  lip  spreading  and  finely 
pubescent  on  the  outside.  Slyle :  pubescent  near  the  summit;  twice-cleft. 
Leaves:  linear,  lanceolate,  j^ointed  or  obtuse  at  the  ape.x  and  tapering  at  the  base 
into  the  margined  petiole;  remotely  serrate;  glabrous,  or  puberuleiU.  Stem:  two 
to  four  feet  high,  simple  or  branched  near  the  summit,  leafy,  four-angled,  smooth. 

The  beauty  of  this  plant  is  best  seen  in  the  ptire  unspotted  whiteness  of 
its  flowers  and  in  their  exquisite  softness.  When  they  occur  in  their  blue  form 
they  appear  to  me  not  nearly  so  pretty.  In  the  light,  sandy  soil  of  Florida 
and  especially  about  Jacksonville  the  plant  remains  late  in  bloom,  but  often 
there  it  is  overshadowed  and  hidden  away  by  such  pronounced  beauties  as 
the  blazing  stars,  coreopses,  yellow  polygalas  and  even  the  spider-lilies. 

S.  lyrala^  lyre-leaved  sage,  is  always  a  distinctive  species,  from  its  lyrate- 
pinnaiifid  basal  leaves.  The  upper  leaves  of  the  stem  are  frequently  entire 
and  grow  in  pairs  rather  far  apart.  Its  flowers  also  are  large,  rather  dis- 
tant, in  whorles  and  quite  showy,  with  corollas  of  a  beautiful  blue,  white- 
spotted  in  the  throat  and  having  a  short  upper  lip. 

S.  nrlicifblia,  nettle-leaved  sage,  bears  smaller  flowers  of  blue-and-white 
with  noticeably  broad  and  three-lobed  lower  lips.  Its  leaves  are  ovate 
either  abruptly  squared  at  the  base  or  tapering  into  margined  petioles.  The 
borders  are  crenate  or  crenate-toothed.  As  far  northward  as  Maryland  the 
plant's  range  extends,  and  it  always  prefers  to  grow  in  light,  open  woods. 

WILD  BERGAMOT. 

Mondrda  fistiilbsa. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mint.         Pinkish  lavender.         Fragrant.         Florida  and  Louisiana  J unc-Stptemier 

to  Maine, 

Flotvers:  growing  in  a  terminal  head  with  underlying  lanceolate  bracts,  green  or 
partaking  somewhat  of  the  flower's  colour.  Calyx:  tubular;  with  five  minute 
teeth  ;  hairy  in  the  throat.  Corolla:  tubular;  slightly  curved,  two-lipped,  the  lower 
lip  projecting  in  a  little  tip,  the  upper  one  hairy  and  jiartly  enclosing  tiie  stamens. 
Stamens  :  two  ;  protruding;  anthers  :  deep  purple.  Pistil:  one.  stvlc  protruding  and 
two-lobed  at  the  apex.  Leaves:  opposite;  petioled  ;  ovatc-lanceolato;  cordate  or 
rounded  at  the  base,  serrate  and  slightly  covered  with  tomeiUum,  at  least  on 
the  petioles.     Stem  :  two  to  three  feet  high  ;  purplish  ;  pubescent. 

On  a  dry  mountain-side  in  North  Carolina  I  pulled  one  day  in  July  a 
stem  of  wild  bergamot  that   measured  nearly  four  feet  long,  and  boldly  it 


PLATE  CL.     NARROW-LEAVED  SAGE.  -  Salvia  a^urea. 
(454)     , 


THE  MINT  FAMILY.  4-5 

stood  up  among  the  many  surrounding,  smaller  plants.  About  its  luxuriant 
heads  of  bloom  there  was  a  pleasing,  open  appearance,  while  its  soft  and 
pastel-like  shade  of  lavender  is  but  little  seen  among  the  wild  flowers. 
Later  in  the  season  when  its  blossoms  have  perished  the  remaining 
bracts  of  various  mottled  colours  frequently  attract  the  eye.  One  of  the 
plant's  chief  charms,  however,  is  its  spicy,  pungent  odour  which  remains 
on  the  fingers  for  a  long  time  after  they  have  been  rubbed  against  its  parts. 

All  in  fact  of  the  monardas,  or  horse-mints,  are  more  than  usually  pleas- 
ing plants,  and  from  early  summer  stretch  out  their  bloom  until  late  in  the 
autumn. 

M.  di'dynia,  Oswego  tea,  crimson,  or  American  bee  balm,  the  handsomest 
of  the  genus  and  one  of  our  most  brilliant  wild  flowers,  chooses  to  grow  in 
cool,  ferny  spots  among  the  dense  greens  of  midsummer.  Here,  its  blos- 
soms of  as  brilliant  a  scarlet  as  those  of  the  cardinal  flower  and  its  red 
bracts  produce  often  a  startling  effect.  In  rounded,  solitary  heads  they  are 
produced,  the  long  two-lipped  corolla  having  its  lower  spreading  lip  three- 
lobed  while  the  upper  one  is  erect  and  arched.  The  stamens  are  exserted, 
and  the  mostly  ovate-lanceolate  leaves  are  vividly  green. 

AT.  punctata,  horse-mint,  is  known  from  the  others  by  its  large,  con- 
spicuous purple,  or  white-tinted,  bracts  and  its  yellowish  corollas  abundantly 
spotted  with  purple  or  crimson.  More  than  usually  arched  also  is  the  upper 
and  pubescent  lip.  In  the  throat  the  calyx  is  villous  while  its  teeth  are  short 
and  triangular.  When  well  grown  it  is  a  striking  plant  and  its  flower's  con- 
struction most  interesting. 

AMERICAN  PENNYROYAL.     SQUAW  HINT. 

Hcdebnia  pidegio\dcs. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mint.         Pale  purple.         Foliage  fragrant.         Florida  to  Ontario  and         J  une-Stptiml'cr. 

luestwa  rd. 

Flowers:  very  small,  usually  six,  growing  in  loose,  axillary  whorles.  Calyx: 
tubular,  mostly  irregularly  five-toothed  and  villous  in  the  throat.  Corolla:  two- 
lipped,  the  lower  one  three-cleft,  the  upper  one  entire  or  notched.  Per  feet  stamens  : 
two;  imperfect  ones  two  or  none.  Leases :  small  ;  oblong-ovate,  pointed  at  the 
apex  and  narrowed  at  the  base  into  a  short  petiole  ;  remotely  serrate,  paler  below 
than  above;  smooth  or  slightly  pubescent.  SU-tn:  six  to  eighteen  inches  high, 
much  branched  from  near  the  base  ;  pubescent. 

Having  none  better,  we  mostly  call  this  familiar  little  plant  by  the  common 
name  of  American  pennyroyal  that  it  may  be  designated  from  its  near  rela- 
tive, the  European  pennyroyal,  Mentha  Pulegium.  It  is  sprightly  and  vigor- 
ous, and  moreover  good  to  nibble  at  as  the  thirsty  and  weary  one  wanders 
over  the  dry,  sun-baked  soil  of  hillsides.  The  heavy  oil  distilled  from  the 
plant  has  various  qualities  among  which    not  the  least  known  is  its  obnox- 


456  THE  MINT  FAMILY. 

iousness  to  mosquitoes.     Children  pull  and  carry  about  bunches  of 
protect  them  from  these  insects. 


It  to 


CALAfllNT. 

Clin opbdiiun  cocci'n eu7n . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF   BLOOM 

Mint.  Scarlet.  Fragrant.  Western  Florida.  August. 

Flozvei-s :  showy,  growing  solitary,  or  ia  clusters  of  three  in  the  axils.  Ca/yx  : 
tubular;  somewhat  swollen  at  the  base  and  hairy  in  the  throat;  two-lipped  the 
upper  one  arched,  the  lower  one  divided  into  two  sharp-pointed  teeth.  Corolla: 
long;  tubular;  two-lipped,  the  upper  lip  notched  at  the  apex,  the  lower  one  three- 
cleft' spreading,  the  central  lobe  notched  and  delicately  spotted  with  a  darker 
colour.  Stanuns:  four;  the  longer  pair  exserted.  Style:  exserted ;  two-cleft. 
Leaves:  small,  about  one-half  inch  long,  almost  sessile,  oval,  or  obovate-oblong, 
blunt  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base;  mostly  entire,  bright  green;  glabrous. 
A  shrub  about  two  feet  high ;  smooth,  or  minutely  pubescent. 

Although  more  than  usually  a  smooth  shrub,  we  notice  that  this  calamint's 
outer  bark  is  loose  and  much  inclined  to  peel  in  shreds.  The  plant  is  also 
very  leafy  and  grows  in  a  branching  way  mostly  in  sandy  soil.  The  bright, 
scarlet  colouring  of  the  flowers  makes  them  unusually  gay-looking.  Few  of 
us  perhaps  w^ould  instinctively  connect  their  appearance  with  bed  castors,  but 
a  likeness  in  the  contour  of  certain  members  of  the  genus  to  that  of  the 
castor  has  provoked  the  Greek  name.  More  familiar  ones  are  sometimes 
called  basils.  The  true  plant  of  that  name,  however,  which  inspired  the  poets 
is  a  native  of  the  East  Indies. 

C.  Carolmia7ia,  Carolina  calamint,  extends  from  Florida  as  far  northward 
as  North  Carolina  and  grows  as  a  shrub  to,  at  most,  two  feet  high.  Its  leafy 
branches  are  ascending  and  covered  with  a  close  pubescence  ;  while  the 
white  or  purplish  fragrant  flowers  are  produced,  from  one  to  six,  in  the  leaf 
axils.  Conspicuous  about  their  corollas  is  the  dotting  of  the  lower  lip's 
rounded  lobes  with  a  dark  colour. 

HOARY  MOUNTA!N=MINT.     WILD  BASIL. 

KocUia  i7icd?ia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Mint.  Pur/>lish-lavender,         Fragrant.  Florida  to  Maine  July-October, 

or  ivhite.  and  ivestivard. 

Flowers  :  small;  numerous;  growing  in  loose,  axillary  and  terminal  cymose 
clusters,  their  bracts  being  linear  and  pointed  and  covered  with  a  white  pubescence. 
Calyx:  two-lipped,  the  teeth  awl-shaped  and  bearded.  Corolla:  two-lipped, 
dotted  with  deep  violet.  Stamens  :  four,  exserted.  Leaves:  with  very  downy, 
short  petioles  ;  ovate,  or  ovate-lanceolate,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  rounded  or 
wedge-shaped  at  the  base,  sharply  serrate  ;  bright  green  and  slightly  pubescent 
above,  covered  underneath  with  a  white,  velvety  tomentum,  the  upper  leaves  often 
appearing  the  same  on  both  sides,  and  smaller  ones  occurring  in  the  axils.  Stems  : 
two  to  four  feet  high  ;  erect,  branched  ;  densely  pubescent  above. 


THE  MINT  FAMILY. 


457 


Koellia  incana. 


Among  many  spurges,  starry  campions, 
primroses,  meadow  beauties,  Indian  pipes 
and  lilies,  and  all  the  innumerable,  sweet, 
green  things  that  lead  the  way  to  the  forest, 
none  in  late  July  is  more  constantly  seen 
than  the  hoary  mountain-mint.  Especially 
through  the  high  mountains  its  pungent 
fragrance  and  soft  pastel  tints  of  colour  are 
found  to  be  subtly  attractive.  From  a  dis- 
tance it  appears  as  though  a  fairy  powder 
had  been  sprinkled  over  it  so  deep  are  the 
pubescence  and  ashen  hue  of  its  leaves.  Near 
seeding  time,  however,  this  has  passed  and 
a  purplish  tone  pervades  the  whole  plant. 
By  the  mountain  people  the  leaves  and 
stem-tops  are  employed  to  make  into  a 
rather  thin  oil  which  is  then  used  in  domestic  practice  to  cure,  among  other 
things,  headaches. 

K.  mofitana,  thin-leaved  mountain-mint,  a  smoother  individual  than  the 
preceding  species,  is  not  nearly  so  pretty  although  a  certain  similarity  can 
be  noticed  between  them.  Its  flowers  are  almost  overshadowed  by  the 
number  and  size  of  its  thin,  long-pointed  leaves,  which,  however,  are  quite 
without  the  soft-white  tomentum  so  attractive  on  those  of  Koellia  incana. 
In  fact,  with  the  exception  of  the  ciliate  bracts  and  calyx-segments  the 
plant  is  throughout  nearly  glabrous.  It  inhabits  open  woods  of  mostly  the 
mountainous  districts  of  Alabama,  Tennessee,  Virginia  and  Georgia. 

K.  Virginia7ia,  Virginia  mountain-mint,  or  prairie  hyssop,  bears  white 
flowers,  lightly  touched  with  lavender,  which  have  rigid,  lanceolate 
bracts  in  their  involucres,  covered  with  a  white  tomentum.  The  leaves  are 
sessile,  or  nearly  so,  linear-lanceolate  or  lanceolate,  smooth,  or  nearly  so,  the 
uppermost,  however,  covered  with  a  dense,  white,  woolly  tomentum.  The 
plant's  range  is  very  extended. 

K.  flexiiosa,  narrow-leaved  mountain-mint,  or  Virginia  thyme,  abounds 
in  oak  barrens,  a  most  dainty,  little  member  of  the  family.  Its  many  linear 
fine  leaves  give  it  an  open,  light  look  while  often  the  small  corollas  arc  while, 
flecked  with  dots  of  lavender  or  else  pale  lavender  and  also  similarly  marked 
with  a  darker  shade.  As  they  grow  old  they  drop  off  considerably  ;  so  that 
often  the  involucres  show  but  few  of  them.  The  whole  plant  emits  little 
fragrance  until  after  it  is  dried  or  pressed  between  the  fingers  when  its 
pungent  odour  is  strongly  exhaled. 


458  THE  POTATO  FAMILY. 

THE  POTATO  FAMILY. 

Solaimcece. 

Through  our  ra7ige  shrubs,  herbs  or  vifies  known  by  their  alternate 
lobed  or  variously  cut  leaves  and  their  regular,  perfect  floivers  ivith 
gamopetalous  corollas  and  equal  stamens  inserted  on  the  tube,  alternate 
with  its  lobes. 

More  frequently  and  in  more  varied  forms  than  many  of  us  know  do 
we  come  in  contact  with  the  family  of  the  potato,  or  Irish  potato  as  it  is 
called  in  the  south  ;  the  egg-plant,  tomato,  red  pepper  and  tobacco  being 
also  some  of  its  common  forms  in  cultivation.  In  the  garden  again  the  little 
matrimony  vine,  Lycium  vulgare,  and  the  various  species  of  petunias  show 
us  others  of  its  phases.  As  common  wayside  weeds,  we  recognise  the 
stramonium,  or  thorn  apple,  Datura  stramonium,  long  ago  brought  to  this 
country  by  the  Jamestown  colonists  for  its  reputed  medicinal  properties  and 
therefore  still  known  through  New  England  as  the  Jamestown,  or  more 
familiarly,  Jimson-weed  ;  and  the  apple-of-Peru,  Physalodes  physalodes,  a 
high-growing  weedy  herb,  with  foliage  similar  to  that  of  the  Jimson-weed, 
has  abundantly  escaped  to  the  waysides  from  gardens. 

Many  of  the  members  of  the  potato  family  are  renowned  among 
poisonous  plants,  the  Jimson-weeds  and  the  night-shades  being  those  which 
have  been  most  notably  harmful. 

HORSE=NETTLE.     APPLE  OF  SODOM.    {Plate  CLI.) 

Sola  n  mn   Ca  rolin  ensc, 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Potato.  Purple  or -ivhite.  Scentless.  Florida  to  Ontario  May-September. 

and  westward. 

Flowers:  growing  in  lateral  often  cyme-like  racemes.  Calyx  :  pubescent,  five- 
cleft ;  persistent.  Corolla:  wheel-shaped  with  five  ovate-lanceolate  lobes. 
Stamens:  five,  filaments  very  short.  Anthers:  deep  orange,  erect  and  connivent 
into  a  cone.  Berries:  round;  deep  yellow  or  orange,  smooth.  Leaves:  ovate- 
oblong  pointed  at  the  apex  and  squared  or  tapering  at  the  base  into  the  margined 
petiole,  with  deep  lobes,  spreading  at  right  angles  from  the  midrib,  rough  and 
pubescent  on  both  sides  and  bearing  on  the  under  part  of  the  veins  sharp-pointed 
prickles.  Stems :  erect  ;  branched,  pubescent  and  bearing  many  yellow,  sharp 
prickles. 

A  weedy,  common-enough-looking  plant  is  the  horse-nettle  as  it  commonly 
occurs  along  roadsides,  and  therefore  it  is  somewdiat  of  a  surprise  when  it 
unfolds  its  delicate,  beautiful  flower, — for  such  is  truly  its  starry  bloom,  with 
intensely  yellow  anthers  forming  for  it  a  cone-like  centre.  And  in  the  late 
autumn  when  plants  are  dying  and  the  grass  even  is  pale  and  limp  its  still 
greenish  or  yellow  balls  of  fruit  hang  gracefully  in  their  racemes.  To  the 
night-shades  the  plant  is  closely  related,  and  of  its  genus  a  number 
abound  in  the  western  prairies. 


1^ 


PLATE   CLI.     HORSE-NETTLE.     SoUhhiu  Carolintnsf. 
(459) 


46o  THE  FIGWORT  FAMILY. 

THE  FIGWORT  FAHILY. 

Scrap  h  ula  ridcece. 

Trees,  shrubs  or  herbs  ivith  either  alternate,  or  opposite  leaves,  and 
which  bear  in  our  species  irregular  flowers  with  gainopetalous  corollas 
having  their  limbs  nearly  regular  or  more  frequently  tnw-lipped. 

Weariless  indeed  in  their  desire  to  bloom  and  to  spread  themselves  are 
many  showy  weeds,  members  of  this  family,  common  everywhere,  and  which 
have  been  introduced  into  this  country  mostly  from  Europe.  Conspicuous 
among  such  individuals  and  one  which  we  should  sadly  miss  from  along  our 
roadside  banks  is  : 

Verbascuni  Thdpsus,  the  velvet  plant,  flannel  leaf,  great  mullein  or  mullein 
dock.  A  native  of  Europe  and  Asia,  it  has  become  generally  distributed 
through  many  countries,  clothing  itself  with  new  forms  of  usefulness,  taking 
different  places  in  legendary  lore  and  changing  its  popular  name  to  suit 
almost  every  locality  it  enters.  Among  the  earliest  signs  of  spring  are  its 
low-lying  rosettes  of  great  velvet  leaves,  from  the  centre  of  which  shoot  up 
in  the  second  year  elongated  spikes  of  bloom  sparingly  covered  with  yellow 
flowers. 

V.  Blattdria,  moth  mullein,  now  well  naturalised  from  Europe,  has  a 
more  highly  refined,  delicate  personality  than  many  of  the  foreign  weeds 
which  overrun  our  soil.  It  is  a  robust  plant  with  ovate  or  cordate 
clasping  leaves  and  elfin  flowers  which  occur  in  w^hite,  pink  and  yellow,  the 
filaments  of  all  being  covered  with  a  dense,  purplish  wool.  They  last  but  a 
short  time,  while  usually  on  the  same  stems  are  seen  short,  shiny,  reddish 
buds.  Moths  and  butterflies  visit  the  plant,  but  in  a  dried  form  it  is  of 
renown  as  being  obnoxious  to  cockroaches. 

Lindria  Lindria,  butter-and-eggs,  yellow  toad-flax  or  bride-weed,  com- 
bines in  its  bloom  two  shades  of  yellow  and  is  one  of  the  sprightliest, 
gayest  weeds  along  the  waysides.  From  June  until  October  its  racemes  are 
densely  flowered,  and  although  it  has  been  naturalised  from  Europe  it  seems 
to  be  far  better  known  than  the  greater  number  of  our  indigenous  plants. 

Veronica  arvensis,  corn  speedwell,  and  Veronica  agrestis,  garden 
speedwell,  both  showing  small  blue  flowers,  are  also  through  fields  and 
waste  places  little  European  and  Asiatic  weeds  well  content  and  at  home  in 
this  country. 

In  cultivation  as  diverse  types  of  the  figwort  family  may  also  be 
briefly  mentioned  : 


THF  FIGWORT  FAMILY.  461 

Antirrhinum  niajus,  lion's-mouth  or  great  snap-dragon,  bearing  purplish- 
red  or  variously  coloured  Howers  which  are  quite  large,  occasionally  is  seen 
as  an  escape  from  the  garden  to  the  roadside. 

Dii^italis  purpurea,  purple  foxglove,  fairies'  caps,  thimbles,  gloves  and 
known  by  over  sixty  other  English  names  has  quite  an  important  place  in 
old-fashioned  gardens  and  also  is  said  sparingly  to  have  escaped  from 
cultivation. 

PauIo'iv7iia  tomcntbsa,  paulownia,  appears  as  a  tree  with  a  maximum 
height  of  about  seventy  feet,  an  extreme  of  the  great  family  of  figworts.  In 
the  south  it  has  escaped  somewhat  from  cultivation  as  it  belongs  to  a 
monotypic  genus  of  Japan.  In  personality  and  foliage  it  is  very  much  like 
the  catalpa  tree,  but  the  Howers  of  its  great  panicle  are  deep  violet,  and  they 
later  mature  large  ovoid  capsules,  very  dissimilar  to  the  long  beans  of  the 
catalpa. 

LYON'S  TURTLE=HEAD. 

Clielbne  Lybni. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Figivort.         Rose-purple.         Scentless.  Georgia  northward  to  I'irginia.     J uly-Octobcr. 

Flowers:  growing  closely  in  a  terminal,  dense  spike.  Calyx:  with  five-paitcd, 
ovate  sepals,  ciliate  and  rounded  at  their  apices,  the  underlying  bracts  fringed 
with  white  hairs.  Corolla:  two-lipped;  inflated;  slightly  oj^en  at  the  apex;  the 
upper  lip  concave,  the  lower  one  three-cleft,  with  the  central  division  appearing 
like  a  small  tongue  ;  bearded  in  the  throat.  Stat7iens  :  five,  four  fertile  and  one 
sterile  ;  filaments,  hairy  and  united  into  a  mass  by  their  woolly  anthers.  Pistil :  one. 
Leaves :  opposite  ;  with  slender  petioles  ;  oval  or  long  ovate,  pointed  at  the  apex 
and  pointed,  subcordate  or  narrowed  at  the  base  ;  serrate  ;  thin.  Stem  :  erect  ; 
one  to  three  feet  high,  simple  or  branched ;  glabrous. 

Through  the  mountainous  region  of  western  North  Carolina  and  in  the 
late  season  when  this  genus  of  plants  throws  out  its  strange  bloom,  I  have 
found  the  flowers  of  this  species  showing  almost  every  tint  of  colour  from  a 
pure  waxy  white  to  a  deep  pink-purple.  It  grows  in  wet,  soggy  places, 
often  by  little  brooks  and  is  ever  with  its  small  tortoise-like  corollas  a 
strange-looking  individual.  From  the  anthers,  even  when  but  slightly 
touched,  the  pollen  is  showered  abundantly. 

This  species  of  Chelone  was  named  for  Mr.  Lyon,  a  botanist  who 
travelled  through  the  mountains  and  died  at  Asheville,  N.  C.  In  this  region 
where  most  luxuriantly  much  that  is  beautiful  of  northern  and  southern 
flora  grows  side  by  side  he  collected  many  rare  specimens  and  sent  them  to 
the  old  country.  It  was  indeed  he  who  first  brought  to  the  notice  of  horti- 
culturists the  beautiful  Pieris  floribunda. 

C.   glabra^  turtle-head,  shell-flowcr,  or  balmony,  is  readily  known  from 


462  THE  FIGWORT  FAMILY. 

Lyon's  turtle-head  by  its  lanceolate,  sharply  serrated  leaves,  and  again 
because  its  bracts  are  not  ciliate.  Its  corolla  also  appears  to  open  its 
mouth  more  widely  and  usually  is  of  a  pure,  waxy  white,  although  also  it 
occurs  faintly  tinted  with  pink,  while  in  the  high  mountains  of  North 
Carolina  I  found  it  solidly  and  vividly  pink.  In  the  flowering  season  the 
plant's  leaves  are  collected  and,  although  very  bitter,  are  used  in  domestic 
practice  for  their  strengthening  properties. 

C.  obliqua,  red  turtle-head,  the  third  species,  which  is  also  with  us  a  native, 
bears  oblong,  or  broadly  lanceolate,  leaves  and  slender  red  or  magenta 
flowers.     It  is  not  as  frequently  met  with  as  the  two  others. 

HAIRY    BEARD=TONGUE. 

Pentstemo7i  hirsutiis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Figwort.         Purplish.  Scentless.         Florida  to  Maine  and  ivestward.         May-Jzily. 

Flowers :  growing  on  short,  pubescent  pedicels  in  axillary  and  terminal  thyrsus- 
Hke  inflorescence.  Calyx:  five-parted.  Corolla:  tubular;  dilated  above,  two- 
lipped,  the  upper  Hp  with  two  rounded  lobes;  the  lower  one  three-lobed,  the  throat 
nearly  closed  and  densely  villous  at  its  base.  Stamens:  five,  included,  the  fifth 
one  sterile  and  having  its  filament  closely  bearded.  Leaves:  opposite,  lanceolate 
and  sessile,  or  the  lower  ones  oblong,  or  ovate  and  tapering  into  margined  petioles; 
entire  or  finely  dentate  ;  pubescent  on  the  under  sides,  or  glabrous.  Stem  :  slender, 
one  to  three  feet  high,  covered  with  a  fine  pubescence. 

After  the  turtle-heads  and  the  monkey-flower  there  are  in  the  figwort 
family  few  more  quaintly  expressive  flowers  than  the  beard-tongues,  as 
they  are  commonly  called  from  the  hairy,  palate-like  part  of  the  lower  lip 
which  in  this  species  especially  nearly  closes  the  throat.  The  sterile  stamen 
also  is  bearded,  thus  heightening  their  peculiar  look.  This  plant  indeed  is 
one  of  the  beautiful  and  showy  ones  of  woods  and  rocky  banks,  and  full  of 
spirit  it  seems  when  abundantly  in  bloom. 

P.  Smallii  we  found  growing  near  Blowing  Rock  in  North  Carolina  at 
an  elevation  of  about  four  thousand  feet.  On  a  first  glance  there  was 
something  about  it  which  reminded  me  of  the  shell-flower,  Chelona  glabra. 
It  is  a  smooth  plant  or  nearly  so  with  large,  lanceolate  and  clasping  leaves, 
and  in  an  open  thyrsus  the  flowers  grow  on  slender,  pubescent  pedicels. 

P.  dissectus,  which  through  and  about  Georgia  grows  in  dry  soil,  is  known 
from  the  way  its  leaves  are  pinnately  divided  into  linear  segments,  either 
entire,  or  lobed.  Of  the  purple  bell-shaped  corolla  the  lobes  are  rounded 
and  in  size  nearly  equal. 

P.  Pentstemon.,  smooth  beard-tongue,  produces  rather  few  flowers  in  its 
open,  slender  thyrsus,  and  their  purple  corollas  greatly  increase  in  size 
towards  their  apices.  For  the  most  part  the  plant  is  smooth,  although 
again  slightly  pubescent  among  the  inflorescence. 


At  the  approach  of  twilight  ^ue  stood  on  the  top-most  rock  of 
Satula  Mountain  about  7c>hich,  as  a  great  luibrokcn  ring^  roiv 
after  row,  arise  the  mountains  ;  for  so  is  this  peak  encircled  by 
the  great  Appalachian  system.  To  our  view  the  most  distant 
ones  appeared  as  though  blending  with  the  sky,  7vhile  those 
nearer  becaine  more  clear  until  was  reached  t lie  green  ve7'dure  at 
our  feet,  ^^or  were  these  mountaifis  si7nply  an  undulatory 
line.  Ruggedly  and  individually  formed,  each  peak  had  with- 
al a  look  hu?nane  and  friendly.  Betwee?i  the  rocks  7vere  fresh 
flowers,  and  higher  than  all  else  a  pine,  stunted  and  forlorn, 
raised  its  ungainly  branches. 

(CLII.) 


THE  FIGWORT  FAMILY.  463 

SQUARE=STEMiVlED  MONKEY=FLOWER. 

Mimulus  ringois. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Fig-wort.        Bliie^  violet  or  white.         Scentless.         Texas  and  I'ennessee       June-September. 

to  Nova  Scotia. 

Flo7vers  :  solitary;  axillary;  hanging  from  slender  peduncles.  Calyx  :  with  five 
lanceolate  teeth.  Corolla:  irregular,  cylindric,  the  limb  two-lipped;  the  upper  lip 
being  divided  into  two  erect  or  reflexed  lobes,  the  lower  one  into  three,  spreading, 
rounded  lobes.  Stamens:  four,  on  the  corolla-tube.  Pistil:  one,  style  ihrcad-likc. 
Leaves  :  opposite  ;  lanceolate  ;  clasping  at  the  base  or  sessile;  serrate  ;  smooth. 
Stems  :  erect;  one  to  three  feet  high  strongly  four-angled  ;  branched. 

Whoever  murmured  when  he  found  this  mimic  actor,  this  little  buffoon 
among  the  flowers.^  Gladly  rather  we  say  with  delight,  "  There  it  is,"  and 
slip  it  from  the  surrounding  grass  that  we  may  examine  carefully  its  saucy 
face.  And  no  one  speaks  with  a  smile  of  those  that  so  quickly  fall  from  the 
stem.  The  best  way  to  do  that  one  may  get  a  long  look  at  it.  is  to  carry 
home  the  buds  and  place  them  in  water,  \vhen  all  in  good  time  they 
will  unfold.  In  swampy  places  and  by  streams  it  has  often  for  its  associ- 
ates other  such  common  members  of  the  figworts  as  the  hedge-hyssops, 
gratiola  aurea  and  viscosa,  both  bearing  small  yellow  or  purplish  flowers, 
and  the  long  and  short-stalked  false  pimpernels,  Ilysanthes  gratioloides  and 
Ilysanthes  attenuata,  with  small,  rather  insignificant,  purplish  flowers. 

FERN=LEAVED,  OR  LOUSEWORT  FALSE  FOXGLOVE. 

Dasy stoma  Pedicularia. 

FAMILY        COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIMEOFBLOOM' 

Figiuort.         Yellotu.         Scentless.         Missouri  and  Florida  to  Maine.         Aitt^ust,S*/>te>nl>er. 

Floxvers :  mostly  appearing  opposite,  growing  on  slender  ascending  pedicels. 
Calyx:  campanulate;  short,  with  five  deeply  cleft  lobes.  Corolla:  slightly  ir- 
regular campanulate,  with  five  short,  rounded  lobes,  woolly  in  the  throat  and 
without  pubescent.  Stamens:  four,  their  filaments  woollv.  Style:  thread-like, 
two-lobed.  Lea7'es  :  opposite;  sessile,  ovate-lanceolate  ;  pinnately  lobed,  tlie  seg- 
ments being  incised  or  dentate.  Stem:  about  two  feet  high;  much  branched; 
pubescent  and  viscid. 

Among  those  plants  that  we  know  well  are  the  foxgloves,  holding  their 
golden  bloom  through  the  autumn  and  appearing  to  flourish  from  the  dry, 
sandy  soil  of  Florida  to  that  of  Maine.  In  the  south  especially  they  grow 
in  profusion  and  are  most  welcome  when  elderberries  are  beginning  to  ripen 
and  leaves  are  coiling  up  to  show  their  undersides  already  spotted  with  red. 
Then  here  and  there  their  bright  glints  of  yellow  appear  cheerful  indeed. 
As  are  some  of  the  gerardias,  they  are  partly  parasitic  on  the  roots  of  other 
plants  and  have  also  not  two-lipped  but  rather  irregularly  lobed  corollas. 

These  native  species  through   their  resemblance   to  old-world  relatives 


464  THE  FIGWORT  FAMILY. 

have  naturally  it  seems  had  the  name  of  foxgloves  bestowed  on  them — one 
which  has  provoked  considerable  discussion.  By  many  it  is  believed  to 
be  a  corruption  of  folk's-glove ;  while  fairies'-gloves,  thimbles,  petticoats  or 
caps  and  many  other  fantastic  names  are  used  interchangeably.  Again  the 
name  is  believed  to  be  derived  from  foxes-glew,  Anglo-Saxon  gliew,  mean- 
ing music  and  thought  to  be  in  allusion  to  the  flowers  hung  as  bells  on  an 
arched  support,  as  Vvcre  those  of  a  favourite,  old-time  instrument. 

D.  IcBvigcita,  smooth  or  entire-leaved  false  foxglove,  grows  tall  and  slender 
and  travels  not  further  northward  than  Pennsylvania  or  Michigan.  As  its 
common  name  implies,  its  leaves  are  entire,  with  perhaps  the  exception  of 
the  lower  ones  which  are  somewhat  incised,  or  dentate. 

D.fidva,  downy  false  foxglove,  we  saw  abundantly  through  the  mountain- 
ous districts  of  the  south  where  it  grew  luxuriantly  and  appeared  unusually 
handsome  as  its  pale  yellow  flowers  gleamed  from  many  a  wooded,  ferny 
bank.  Often  its  leaves  are  pinnatifid,— that  is  the  lower  ones,  while  the 
upper  ones  are  entire,  or  sparingly  dentate.  The  plant  is  very  leafy  and 
about  four  feet  tall,  while  the  corollas  are  large,  with  broad,  expanded  limbs, 
and  the  lobes  of  the  calyxes  about  as  long  as  their  tubes.  From  Georgia 
the  plant  extends  to  Eastern  Massachusetts. 

GERARDIA. 

Gerdrdia  fill  if  alia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Figwort.  Purple.  Scentless.  Florida  and  Georgia.  Se/>te)itl'er,   October. 

Flmvers  :  growing  on  slender  axillary  pedicels,  usually  longer  than  the  leaves. 
Calyx  :  campanulate  ;  with  five  minute  teeth.  Corolla  :  funnel-form,  expanded 
towards  the  summit,  the  five  rounded  lobes  slightly  ciliate  on  their  edges. 
Leaves:  abundant;  clustered;  alternate;  thread-like,  narrowed  at  the  base, 
fleshy,  smooth.  Slems  :  erect  ;  one  to  two  feet  high,  much  branched  from  near  the 
base,  wiry,  smooth. 

This  one  of  the  gerardias,  a  graceful  beauty,  we  saw  growing  most 
abundantly  in  the  sandy  soil  of  Florida.  In  fact  in  one  place  it  fairly 
covered  fields  and  long  strips  of  land  along  the  St.  John's  banks,  transform- 
ing the  scene  into  a  purple  haze  with  its  innumerable  blossoms.  It  there 
shared  the  soil  with  a  rayless  species  of  golden-rod,  and  so  closely  did  their 
leaves  and  stems  intermingle  that  sometimes  it  appeared  as  though  their 
very  dissimilar  flowers  crowned  the  same  stalks.  About  them  flitted  the 
most  beautiful  butterflies.  Some  were  solidly  yellow  like  the  golden-rods, 
and  others  were  brilliantly  marked  and  spotted. 

It  is  thus  in  the  late  season  that  the  gerardias  play  their  part  in  beautify- 
ing the  earth.     Some  of  them  are  parasites,  as  has  been  said,  on  the  roots  of 


THE  FIGWORT  FAMILY.  465 

other  plants  and  perhaps  for  this  reason  do  not  take  kindly  to  life  m  ihc 
garden.     True  wildings  they  are,  delicate  and  beautiful. 

G.  ienuifblia,  slender  gerardia,  has  also  narrowly  linear  leaves,  which,  like 
the  long  slender  pedicels  of  the  flowers,  are  widely  spread.  Although  slender. 
the  plant  appears  quite  bushy  in  habit  owing  to  its  being  branched  as  a 
panicle.  In  woodlands,  often  those  of  high  altitudes,  it  grtnvs  and  fruni 
Georgia  to  Quebec  and  westward. 

G.  Skinneriana,  Skinner's  gerardia,  is  a  rather  poor-looking  species  in 
comparison  with  some  of  those  that  in  Florida  attain  such  ample  prop<jrtions. 
Its  thread-like,  perceptibly  rough  leaves  are  usually  from  a  quarter  to  half 
an  inch  long,  freely  borne  on  the  erect  branches.and  the  pale  purple  or  white 
blossoms  are  very  fragile.  When  growing  among  grasses  which  border 
ponds,  or  in  sandy  thickets,  it  has,  however,  the  indelible  air  of  a  gerardia. 
This  one  does  not  blacken  in  drying. 

G.  divaricdta,  which  from  the  base  branches  very  widely,  shows  us  fili- 
form, opposite  leaves,  well  spread  out  from  the  branches.  The  flowers  are 
small,  with  upper  lobes  erect  and  short,  and  they  hang  from  slender  pedicels 
several  times  longer  than  the  upper  leaves.  In  the  low,  sandy  soil  of  Florida, 
where  indeed  the  genus  thrives  amazingly,  it  makes  its  home. 

G.  purpurea,  large  purple  gerardia  {Plate  CLI If), \\\\\c\\  from  Florida 
occurs  rather  generally  along  the  coast  to  Maine,  is  truly  an  exquisite  sight 
near  Jacksonville  as  in  wet  sandy  soil  it  grows  along  the  banks  of  the  St. 
John's.  Many  of  the  individuals  there,  we  found,  were  quite  four  feet  tall, 
and  the  variety  with  fascicled  leaves  fully  five  feet  high,  the  stems  much 
branched  above  and  rough,  as  were  also  on  both  sides  the  narrowly  linear 
leaves.  The  flower's  pedicels  were  stout,  about  as  long  as  the  calyxes  the 
five  teeth  of  which  were  pointed  and  spreading.  But  beyond  those  small 
differences  was  the  great  beauty  of  the  plant,  which  lay  in  its  large,  pinkish- 
lavender  corolla,  inflated  at  the  throat,  with  five  almost  equal  lobes,  wherein 
were  seen  two  distinct  strips  of   lemon-yellow  and    many  small    dark  spots. 

So  much  in  the  way  of  incentive  for  a  peep  into  others,  as  well  as  this  ex- 
quisite one  of  the  gerardias. 

SCARLET  PAINTED  CUP.     INDIAN  PAINT  BRUSH. 

(Plate  CLIV.) 

Castilleja  coeei)iea. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Figwort.         Scarlet  and  Scentless.         Texas,  North  Carolina  and  I'ir-         May-July. 

yellow.  ginia,  northzvard  and  ivestivard. 

Flmvers:  crowded  in  a  short,  terminal  spike.  Catyx :  green  or  scarlet,  tubular. 
cleft  into  two  oblong  lobes,  often  notched  at  tlieir  summits  and  pubescent.     Cor- 


PLATE  CLIIL     LARGE   PURPLE  GERARDIA.     Gerardia  purpurea. 
(466) 


PLATE   CLIV.     SCARLET   PAINTED-CUP.     Cns^ilhyo  iO<<ittf,u 


COPYRIGHT,    1901,  BY    FREDERICK  A.   STOKES  COMPANY 
PRNTEO     IN    AMERICA 


f 


THE  FIGWORT  FAMILY.  ^6^ 

olla:  yellow  ;  very  irregular  ;  tubular;  two-lipped,  the  upper  one  lonff,  erccl  and 
arched,  the  lower  one  shorter  and  three-lobed.  Stumc/ts :  four,  unequal  in  Icneth 
and  enclosed  in  the  upper  lip  of  the  corolla.  Ptsti/ :  one;  style,  lone,  slender 
/7^n7//^rt7'^j- crimson,  or  crimson-edged,  and  cut  into  three  to  five  broad  l()I>c»' 
Leaves:  alternate;  sessile  ;  parallel  veined  ;  the  basal  ones  being  tufted,  objonK  or 
spatulate,  entire;  and  those  of  the  stem,  unequally  divided  into  tlirce  or  five 
deeply  cleft,  linear  segments.  Stem:  one  to  two  feel  high,  purplish  grey  pubes- 
cent, leafy.  £>    ;•  i 

This  flaming  beauty,  it  will  surprise  many  to  learn,  is  a  parasite  on  the 
roots  of  various  herbs  or  even  shrubs.  And  for  this  reason,  although  its 
brilliant  bloom  makes  it  desirable,  it  is  impracticable  to  cultivate  it,  aUhouj;h 
in  ignorance  of  this  characteristic  many  nurserymen  have  sold  its  seeds.  In 
North  Carolina  it  grows  in  thin,  light  soil  on  the  mountain  slopes,  often  with 
kalmias  and  rhododendrons,  or  through  the  meadows  where  grasses  and  tall 
timothy  stalks  are  nodding  their  heavy  heads.  On  Grandfather  and  Koan 
Mountains  it  sets  ablaze  many  a  high  slope  with  the  wondrous  colouring  of 
its  floral  leaves  and  calyxes.  For  in  these  parts  is  the  spirit  of  the  flower 
seen  ;  its  corolla  is  pale  yellow,  often  insignificant. 

WOOD  BETONY.     L0U5EW0RT. 

Pedicidaris  Canadensis. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Figwort. 

Light  yclio-cu 

Scentless. 

Florida  to  Xo7<a  Scotia 

.Marc  If  June. 

^ 

and  purple. 

and  iv  est  ward. 

\  Flowers:  growing  in  a  dense,  rounded,  leafy  spike  which  in  fruit  becomes 
elongated.  Calyx :  tubular;  cleft  at  the  apex  on  the  underside.  Corolla:  tubular; 
two-lipped,  the  upper  lip  well  arched  and  with  two  minute  teeth  at  the  sides  of  the 
apex  where  it  also  is  bearded  ;  the  lower  one,  three-lobed  and  crested  above,  the 
side  lobes  being  larger  than  the  central  one.  Stamens :  four,  in  the  upper  lip  of 
the  corolla.  Z^^z'^j."  alternate,  lanceolate,  or  oblong,  and  ])innately  divided  into 
many  entire,  or  crenate  fine  lobes.  Ste7n  :  six  to  ten  inches  liigh,  simi)Ie,  hairy  and 
bearing  leafy  runners. 

We  have  seen  in  the  figwort  family  how  many  of  its  members  have 
curious  expressive  faces,  resembling  animals  quite  as  much  as  often  pansies 
take  on  the  look  of  old  men  and  women.  The  chelones  are  like  tortoises ; 
the  monkey-flower  tells  its  own  story;  and  here,  moreover,  is  the  wood 
betony  rearing  its  slender  corolla  as  the  head  of  a  walrus  and  even  with  two 
miniature  projections  in  imitation  of  his  tusks.  Most  often  the  upper  lip  of 
the  flower  is  purple  and  the  under  one  pale  red,  but  also  they  occur  of  solid 
colours,  either  yellow,  purple  or  red.  Through  shady  woods,  therefore,  one 
may  find  a  patch  of  yellow  bloomers  and  not  far  distant  a  group  of  others 
showing  not  a  vestige  of  that  colour.  It  is  ever  a  strange-looking  plant  with 
fern-like,  rather  coarse  leaves  and  is  pretty  as  long  only  as  the  bloom 
endures. 


468  THE  BLADDERWORT   FAMILY. 

THE  BLADDERWORT  FAMILY. 

Lentibulariacecs 
Aquatic  or  bog  plants  with  leaves  tufted  about  the  base  or  produced  ou 
floatiug  stems y  and  which  bear  on  erect  scapes  or  scaly  bracted  sterns^  either 
solitary  or  ifi  racemes^  irregular  and  perfect  flowers^  with  two-lipped  cor- 
ollas. 

HORNED  BLADDERWORT. 

Utriculdria  corniita. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Bladderwort.        Yelloiv.       Very  fragrant.         Florida  to    Newfoundland         fune-August. 

and  westward. 

Flowers :  showy  ;  irregular  ;  one  to  six  growing  in  a  raceme  at  the  end  of  a 
naked,  stout  scape,  their  pedicels  bracted.  Calyx  :  \\\\h  two  nearly  equal  lobes, 
Cf^rt-Z/a  .- two-lipped  ;  broad;  the  lower  lip  large,  somewhat  helmet-shaj^ed,  with 
pubescent  palate  in  the  throat  and,  projecting  at  the  base,  a  spur  ;  the  upper  one 
erect,  smaller  and  obovate.  Stamens :  two.  Leaves:  none,  or  reduced  to  a  few 
scales  on  the  scape.  Occasionally  also  there  occur  on  the  rooting  stems  a  few 
bladder-bearing,  entire  leaves. 

Differing  from  the  purple  bladderwort  that  grows  in  water,  this  one,  being 
a  terrestrial  species,  grows  by  the  ponds'  borders  or  in  bogs  where  its  scapes 
root  freely  in  the  mud,  and  it  attracts  us  by  the  shining  brightness  and  in- 
tensely sweet  fragrance  of  its  unusual  flowers.  The  bees  also  find  them,  for 
the  long  curved  spur  projected  by  the  large  under-Hp  is  rich  in  nectar. 

U.  siibuldta,  zig-zag,  or  tiny  bladderwort  is  distinct  from  its  relatives 
through  the  zig-zag  line  formed  by  its  raceme  of  rather  numerous  although 
small  yellow  flowers.  It  also  is  a  terrestrial  species  of  sandy,  wet  soil  and 
seldom  produces  on  its  few  leaves  any  bladders. 

U.  purpiirea,  purple  bladderwort,  is  one  that  grows  in  water  and  sends 
out  from  the  base  of  its  scape  of  violet-purple  flowers  floating  and  finely  dis- 
sected leaves  which  are  upheld  by  many  small  bladders. 

The  Utricularias  are  a  most  interesting  group,  some  members,  like  those 
first  described,  being  provided  with  a  few  bladder-bearing  leaves  or  rootlets 
under  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Again  the  aquatic  species  usually  root  in 
the  mud,  or,  rarely,  float  free  wherever  the  wind  or  current  wills,  and  are 
provided  with  finely  divided  leaves  which  are  literally  covered  with  small 
bladders.  The  bladders  have  an  orifice  or  mouth  which  is  closed  by  a  little 
lid  and  is  furnished  also  with  projecting  bristles,  the  function  of  which  is  to 
create  a  sort  of  current  whereby  water  and  small  insects  may  be  induced  to 


mf'^ 


m^M 


/     t 


.0>.   /  % 


PLATE   CLV.     YELLOW   PINGUICULA.     ruisuuula  lutca 

COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY  FREDERICK   A.    STOKES  COMPANY 
PRINTED   IN   AMERICA 


THE  BLADDKRWORT  FAMILV 


469 


enter.     More  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  species  are  recocrniscd,  widely  dis- 
tributed, of  which  about  twenty  occur  in  the  United  States. 

U.  infidta,  swollen  bladderwort.onc  of  the  most  curious  of  all.  bears  at 
about  the  middle  of  its  scape  a  whorl  of  leaves  with  swollen  pcli<jlcs.  whirh 
are  very  finely  dissected,  as  well  as  almost  covered  with  bladders.  It  is  thus 
doubly  provided  with  a  means  of  moving  over  the  waters  of  ponds  where  it 
grows.     From  Florida  to  Maine  it  occurs,  and  mostly  near  the  coast. 

YELLOW  PINGUICULA.     BUTTERWORT.     {Plat,-  CI.W) 
J^iuguicula  lidea. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME    OF   BLOOM 

lU^iddi-yivort.  Brisiht  yclloiv.         ScentU'ss.        Florida  and  l.ouisiatui  Ifl^i  u.try-A />>  il. 

to  Xort/i  Carol  inn. 

Flowers:  soHtary  ;  nodding,  or  ascending;  growing  at  the  end  of  a  pubescent 
scape  from  six  to  fourteen  inches  high.  Calyx:  parted  into  five  oval  pubescent 
lobes.  Corolla:  funnel-form  ;  inflated  and  projecting  backward  a  nectariferous 
spur  ;  while  somewhat  two-lipped,  the  limb  apparently  divided  into  five,  olwvate 
lobes,  deeply  cleft  at  their  apices,  and  veined  in  the  throat  with  brown.  Slamctts  : 
two.  Leaves:  small  ;  one  to  one  and  a  half  inches  long  growing  in  a  rosette  about 
the  base,  ovate  or  oblong-obovate,  usually  pointed  at  the'apex,  entire,  with  involute, 
sensitive  margins  and  covered  on  the  upjjer  surface  with  a  viscid  secretion. 
Rools :  fibrous. 

Raised  sprightly  on  naked  scapes  and  where  the  soil  is  moist  we  find 
commonly  through  open  pine-barrens  the  bright  blossoms  of  the  butterwort. 
Here  where  it  has  made,  among  palms  and  grey  moss,  its  natural  selection, 
it  spreads  also  flatly  on  the  ground  its  rosette  of  curious  leaves.  It  avoids,  so 
it  would  seem,  places  overgrown  with  tall  grasses  or  other  verdure  which 
would  prevent  the  sun  and  air  from  touching  it  and  providing  it  with 
nourishment.  It  also  sustains  its  good  condition  in  another  way.  The 
leaves  are  very  fat,  greasy,  in  fact,  to  the  touch,  and  by  this  greasiness  small 
insects  are  detained  on  their  surface  until  the  sensitive  leaf-margins  roll  in- 
ward and  hold  the  intruder  in  the  grim  clutch  of  death.  The  prey  thus 
secured  is  then  assimilated  after  the  manner  of  most  insectivorous  plants. 

P.  clatibr,  which  grows  in  swamps  or  along  the  margins  of  ponds  from 
Florida  to  North  Carolina,  bears  a  purple  flower,  often  fading  to  white  as  it 
matures.  Its  small  leaves,  tufted  at  the  base  of  the  scape,  are  spatulate  ovate 
and  clammy  pubescent. 

P.  piiinila,  a  miniature  species  seen  mostly  in  the  moist,  sandy  soil  of 
Georgia  and  Florida,  is  known  by  its  small,  light  violet  or  purple  flowers  and 
tuft  of  roundod  or  obovate  leaves  lying  at  the  baijc  of  the  scape. 


470  THE  BROOM-RAPE  FAMILY. 

THE  BR00n=RAPE  FAfllLY. 

OrobanchacecE. 

A  group  of  root  parasites  with  leaves  reduced  to  alternate  scales^  and 
7v/iich  bear  perfect  irregular  floivers^  their  corollas  bei?ig  ga?nopetalous 
and  two- lipped. 

SQUAW-ROOT.     CANCER-ROOT. 

Conopkoh's  Americana. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Broom-rape.  Pale  yellow.  Scentless.  Florida  to  Maitie.  April-August. 

Flcnoers  :  perfect ;  numerous  ;  growing  in  a  dense,  very  thick  spike.  Calyx:  tubu- 
lar; four-toothed  with  two  bracts  under  the  base.  Corolla:  two-lipped;  the  upper 
lip  arched  and  notched  at  the  summit;  the  lower  one  short  and  three-toothed. 
Stamens  :  on  the  tube  of  the  corolla ;  exserted.  Steins:  four  to  ten  inches  high 
clustered  from  the  base  and  covered  with  whitish  or  light  brown  stiff  scales;  fleshy. 

This  curious,  light  brown  herb,  the  only  species  of  eastern  North  America, 
finds  for  us  perhaps  its  chief  attraction  in  that  it  opens  its  bloom  in  earliest 
spring.  Then  the  pale  yellow  flowers  peep  out  from  its  scaly  cone.  It  lives 
in  the  woods  and  is  a  root  parasite  at  the  bases  of  trees,  of  which  it  seems  to 
choose  almost  exclusively  the  oaks. 

Leptdmnium  Virginidmun,  beech  drops,  more  showy  in  its  purple-and- 
white,  striped  bloom  than  the  squaw-root,  chooses  to  grow  on  the  beech 
rather  than  the  oaks.  Mostly  its  complete,  upper  flowers  are  sterile  while 
below  are  the  cleistogamous  and  fertile  ones.  The  stem  is  branched  in  the 
way  of  a  panicle,  and  sometimes  it  becomes  quite  high. 

Orobdnche  ravibsa,  hemp  broom-rape,  another  strange-looking  yellowish 
parasite,  thrives  abundantly  in  the  south  on  the  roots  of  hemp  and  tobacco. 
It  is,  however,  not  a  native  but  adventive  from  Europe. 

O.  mhior,  clover  broom-rape,  herb-bane,  or  more  viciously  known  as  hell- 
root,  is  also  a  naturalised  plant  and  parasitic  on  the  clovers,  vetches  and 
wild  carrots.  It  also  is  yellowish  brown,  the  faintest  tinge  of  blue  showing 
sometimes  in  the  limb  of  its  corollas. 


I 


K 


n> 


) ,  V 


PLATE   CLVl.     TRUMPET  VINE   AND   COirON    hiELD. 


Ojice^  border uig  afield  where  cotton  was  in  btoio,  we  saw  that 
a  t?'umpet  vine  had  climbed  a  high  tree  and  had  throivn  ont,  as 
though  in  the  spirit  of  rivalry^  many  of  its  bright  blossoms. 
Indeed  the  larger  bloom  of  the  cotton  seemed  to  hang  its  head 
and  looked  pale  enough  when  placed  by  the  other's  side.  But 
over  the  field  and  especially  fro7n  where  the  fiowers  shone  en 
masse  against  the  leaden  colour  of  a  thatched  hut,  their  pinky 
tint  appeared  intensified,  almost  rosy.  Such  are  some  of  the 
sce?ies  of  the  low  country. 

(CLVI.) 


THE  TRUMPET-CREEPER  IWMH.V.  ^., 


THE  TRUMPET=CREEPER  FAMILY. 

Big}ioniacc(C, 

In  our  spedcs  7voody  vines  and  a  tree  ivith  opposite,  simple  or  two  to 
three  foliate  leaves^  the  terminal  leajlet  ?nost/y  endin;^  in  a  tendril;  and 
whieh  bear  large  flowers  in  cymes  or  panicles^  their  corollas gamopctalous, 
with  much  expanded  tubes, 

CR0S5=VINE.     TENDRILLED   TRUMPET-F  LOWER. 

Bignbnia  crucigcra . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Trumpet-creeper.     Orange  and  yello'M.     Scentless.      Florida  to  \i,s^inia  Apr, I  June. 

and  wcst-<oai  d. 

Flowers:  showy;  growing  on  pedicels  in  cymes,  dilyx  :  mcmhranous;  cu|v 
shaped,  with  five  slight  teeth.  Corolla  :  campanulatc,  the  tube  much  inflated,  the 
limb  showing  five  rounded  lobes.  Fertile  stamens :  four,  two  of  which  arc  longer 
than  the  others.  Aiit/iers:  smooth.  Leaves:  with  petioles;  twice  foliolate  and 
terminated  by  a  branching  tendril;  the  leaflets  ovate,  or  oblong,  long  pointed  at 
the  apex  and  cordate  at  the  base.  A  woody  vine,  climbing  sometimes  fifty  and 
sixty  feet  high. 

Once  I  saw  this  beautiful  vine  when  green  and  tender,  as  it  had  wound 
and  rewound  itself  about  the  stem  of  a  great  tree  until  hardly  a  vestige  of 
the  grey  frame-work  could  be  seen.  On  the  landscape,  therefore,  the  oak 
appeared  simply  a  towering  mass  of  green  and  gave  by  the  sight  of  its 
boughs  none  of  the  customary  assurance  that  it  would  not  fall  over,  even 
without  warning.  The  innumerable,  bright  flowers  gleamed  like  miniature 
lanterns  through  the  whole.  A  startling  sight  it  was,  quite  ^vo^thy  of  ihc 
hazy  air  and  sunshine  which  brought  it  forth.  The  plant  is  called  cross- 
vine  from  the  cross  formed  by  transverse  sections  of  the  stem  and  is  in  liic 
United  States  the  only  known  species. 

Campsis  or  Teconia  radicans,  trumpet-flower,  vine,  or  creeper,  is  over  the 
country  one  of  the  best  known  vines,  for  considerably  further  northward  than 
its  natural  range  it  has  become  familiar  through  cultivation.  In  the  moist 
woods  of  the  south  it  is  found  climbing  over  trees,  fences  and  many  old 
stumps,  about  which  it  forms  graceful  festoons.  When  it  meets  no  support 
it  lies  prostrate  on  the  ground,  for  it  has  no  tendrils  with  which  to  climb  as  the 
cross-vine.  Its  leaves  are  pinnate,  the  leaflets  often  pubescent  and  number- 
ing from  seven  to  eleven.  Through  May  and  June  or  as  late  as  ScptcmlK-r, 
and  often  near  the  wistaria,  its  long,  funnel-shaped  corollas  of  bright  scarlet 


472  THE  TRUMPET-CREEPER  FAMILY. 

touched  with  yellow  produce  wonderful,  decorative  effects  wherever  it  grows. 
By  Mr.  W.  R.  Smith  we  are  told  that  Europeans  call  it  the  "  humming-bird 
vine,"  as  it  is  so  much  visited  by  these  birds.  But  the  southern  natives  have 
no  such  poetical  idea  of  it:  they  call  it  devil's  shoestrings  because  its  interlaced 
growth  hinders  their  progress,  or  even  more  contemptuously,  "  cowitch,"  in 
reference  to  the  belief  that  when  cows  eat  of  it  the  effect  on  their  milk  is 
harmful.  Quite  generally  they  regard  it  as  poisonous.  In  fact  they 
approach  it  with  much  more  caution  than  they  do  poison  ivy. 

Catdlpa  Catdlpa,  Indian  bean  or  candle-tree,  represents  the  trumpet 
creeper  family  as  a  large,  well  rounded  tree  which  in  a  wild  state  occurs 
through  the  woods  of  the  gulf  states  and  especially  along  the  river-banks  of 
Florida  and  Georgia.  But  northward  in  many  places  it  is  now  abundantly 
planted.  From  its  relatives,  the  vines,  it  differs  in  having  large,  simple 
leaves,  cordate  in  outline  and  entire.  When  covered  in  June  with  great, 
terminal  panicles  of  exquisite  white  flowers,  touched  with  yellow  and 
dotted  with  purple,  it  seems  that  it  must  attract  the  attention  of  all,  even 
those  flower  seekers  whose  eyes  are  chained  to  the  ground,  and  again  in  the 
late  season  it  is  very  conspicuous,  being  hung  with  slim  pods  sometimes  a 
foot  lono:. 


THE  ACANTHUS  FAMILY. 

AcantJiacccE, 

I?i  our  species  herbs  with  simple^  opposite  leaves,and7vhich  hear  perfect, 
nearly  regular  or  irregular  flowers  their  corollas  being  gamopetalous^ 
either  five-lob  ed  or  two-lipped. 

SnOOTH  RUELLIA. 

Rucllia  strepens. 

FAMILY        COLOUR       ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Acanthus.         Blue.         Scentless.  Texas  aytd  Florida  to  Pennsylvania  May-Atigust. 

and  westward. 

Flowers:  mostly  solitary  or  occasionally  a  few  together  growing  from  the  axils  of 
the  leaves.  Calyx:  five-parted,  the  segments  linear-lanceohite,  pointed,  covered 
with  fine  white  hairs.  Corolla:  salver-shaped,  the  tube  long,  and  the  limb  spread- 
ing in  five  rounded  lobes,  entire  or  slightly  notched  at  the  apex.  Stamejis :  four. 
Pistil :  one;  style,  recurved.  Leaves:  oval,  or  oblong,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  nar- 
rowed at  the  base  into  margined  petioles,  delicately  ciliate  along  the  margin  and 
sparsely  covered  above  and  along  the  veins  below  with  fine  hairs.  Smaller  leaves 
also  often  growing  in  the  axils.  Stei7i:  one  to  four  feet,  simple,  or  branchedj 
eiegt  four-angled;  smooth, 


THE  ACANTHUS  FAMILV.  473 

Many  a  dry,  bare  spot  throui^^h  ilie  thickets  shows  a  gleam  of  bk,c  which 
when  approached  is  found  to  be  these  attractive  flowers,  boldly  thrust  forth 
from  the  plant's  leaf  axils.  When  near  by  there  grow  also  the  starry  cam- 
pion, the  fire  pink  with  perhaps  the  first  of  the  golden  asters  and  a  large  army 
of  spurges,  the  company  is  at  once  gay  and  brilliant,  oi  pure  and  bright 
colours.  Hardly  have  we  had  another  (lower  with  personality  anything  like 
the  ruellia's.  As  we  travel  northward  it  is  one  which  we  saiily  miss  from 
the  flora. 

A\  cilibsa,  hairy  ruellia,  while  very  similar  to  its  relative,  is  covered  almost 
throughout  with  a  hairy  pubescence,  and  a  specific  difference  is  that  its 
thread-like  calyx  segments  exceed  the  capsule  greatly  in  length. 

Diaiithcra  Americana,  dense-flowered  water  willow,  shows  us  another 
form  of  the  Acanthus  family  and  is  one  which  we  find  growing  in  shallow 
water  or  very  wet  places.  The  corolla  of  the  violet  or  nearly  white  llower 
is  slender  and  strongly  two-lipped,  the  upper-lip  covering  the  two  stamens. 
while  a  number  of  them  grow  in  a  head-like  spike  at  the  end  of  a  long, 
axillary  peduncle.  Its  linear-lanceolate  leaves  suggest  somewhat  thos<-  of  a 
willow. 


THE  MADDER  FAMILY. 

Ritbiacccr. 

Trees,  shrubs  or  herbs  with  mostly  siinph\  op/>osife,  stipulate  leaves, 
rarely  whorled,  ami  7viiich  bear  perfect,  regular,  dimorphous  or  eien 
trimorphous  Jhnvcrs  7c>ith  gauiopetalous  corollas,  their  stameus  inserted 
oil  the  throat  or  tube  and  alternate  with  the  lobes. 

THYME=LEAVED  BLUETS,     (riate  CLl'/f.)  : 

Houstbnia  serpyllijblia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Madder.         Dee/>  blue,  iviik      Scentless.       South  diyolina  iiiid  Tennessee         A/>>tl-.l  ugust. 
yellozv  centre.  to  I  'ir^inia. 

Flowers:  dimorphous  ;  terminal  at  the  end  of  thread-like,  terminal  and  axil- 
lary peduncles.  Catyx  :  four-lobed.  Corolla  :  salver-shaped,  with  f<uir  oval, 
spreading  lobes,  the  tube  slender.  Stamens:  four,  on  the  cort)lla.  J'lstil :  «)nc; 
style,  compound.  Capsule:  globose,  depressed  at  the  top  aiul  being  above  free 
from  the  calyx.  Leaves:  very  small  ;  orbicular,  or  broadly  ovate,  obtusely  pointed 
at  the  apex,  and  abruptly  squared  or  terminatccl  by  the  petiole  at  the  base  ;  those 
occurring  near  the  flower  being  often  longer  and  narrower;  smooth.  Stems:  crce;)- 
ing  ;  prostrate;  branching  ;  glabrous, 


PLATE  CLVII,     THYME-LEAVED  BLUETS,     Hoiislonia  scrphyllifolia. 

(474) 


THE  MADDER  FAMIL\.  475 

Often  on  the  high  mountains  these  tiny  bluets  cling  so  lightly  to  the 
ground  that  they  make  but  little  showing  even  when  in  bloom.  They  creep 
in  under  damp  rocks  and  here  cover  many  a  cool  and  shady  place  with  their 
baby  blossoms.  In  such  spots,  or  even  those  more  exposed,  we  found  it  in 
the  early  autumn  near  the  summit  of  Roan  Mountain,  still  blooming  spar- 
ingly. Sometimes  it  mingled  with,  or  grew  beside,  the  mountain  heather. 
Dendrium  buxifolium  prostratum,  when  its  tiny  leaves  often  formed  close 
mats  ;  dainty,  sweet  companions  they  seemed  on  this  great  peak. 

H.  purpurea,  X^x^Q  houstonia,  a  southern  species  and  also  especially  of 
the  mountains,  is  distinctively  marked 'by  its  broad,  ovate  or  ovate-Ianceolale 
leaves  and  because  its  purple  or  lilac  flowers  grow  in  terminal,  cyme-like 
clusters.  It  lingers  late  in  bloom,  and  while  very  attractive  has  hardly  the 
daintiness  of  the  already-mentioned  species  and  the  one  that  follows. 

H.  coeriilca,  bluets,  innocence,  Quaker  ladies,  or  bonnets,  is  much  more 
generally  distributed  than  the  mountain  species — therefore  better  known  and 
of  more  widely  acknowledged  charm.  It  is  readily  distinguished  by  many 
up-pointed,  obovate,  oblong  or  spatulate  leaves  of  which  only  the  lower  ones 
narrow  into  petioles.  The  species,  besides,  grows  erectly,  often  many  of 
the  plants  together  producing  through  moist,  grassy  places  a  most  enchanting 
stretch  of  ethereal  blue. 

H.  angiistifblia,  narrow-leaved  houstonia,  occurring  westward  and  from 
Florida  to  Tennessee,  is  peculiar  in  that  its  linear  leaves  grow  thickly  in 
clusters  and  because  its  w^hite,  or  purplish,  flowers  are  produced  abundantly 
on  short  pedicels  in  cyme-like  clusters. 

Most  of  these  quaint  flowers  are  what  is  called  dimorphous, — that  is,  they 
occur  in  two  forms.  Under  a  lens  we  see  that  in  certain  of  the  flowers  the 
pistil  is  long  and  the  stamens  short,  while  in  others  just  the  reverse  order  is 
evident.  This  is  not  so  without  a  purpose.  It  is  simply  a  scheme  of 
arrangement  by  which  self-fertilization  may  be  prevented. 

BUTTON,   OR   RIVER,    BUSH.     GLOBE    FLOWER. 
HONEY=BALLS. 

Ccphald)iihus  oicidoilalis. 

FAMILY         COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Madder,         White.  Very  fragrant.         Florida  to  Sew  Hrunswick  J  unf-A  Uj^Hit. 

and  westward. 

Flowers:  small  ;  sessile  ;  clustered  in  a  rounded  head.  Calyx-tuh:  with  four, 
blunt  lobes.  Corolla:  tubular,  funnel-form,  with  four  spreading  lobes.  Stiimens: 
four,  on  the  throat  of  the  corolla.  Pistil:  one,  with  exsertcd  style  and  button-like 
stigma.  Leaves:  opposite,  or  whorled  in  threes  :  pctiolcd;  oval,  or  ov.Tte  ; 
entire  ;   mostly  smooth.  A  shrub  three  to  twelve  feet  high  with  rough,  grey  bark. 

Perhaps  in  midsummer  we  attempt  to  cross  a  meadow,  dry  about  the  out- 


476  THE  MADDER  FAMILY. 

side  but  near  the  centre  of  which  the  ground  is  broken  up  into  a  marsh. 
We  are  dismayed  at  the  thought  of  crossing  it,  and  perhaps  would  turn 
backward  were  it  not  for  the  flowers  which  urge  us  into  its  very  midst. 
From  the  further  side  we  see  flaunting  widely  the  petals  of  the  rose-mallow; 
nearer  at  hand  is  the  grinning  face  of  the  monkey-flower,  and  just  beyond 
the  button-bush.  More  sweet  than  that  of  the  others  is  its  luscious  fra- 
grance, and  quaint  enough  the  little  florets  look  closely  packed  in  balls. 
Their  long  styles  and  capitate  stigmas  remind  us  of  pins  stuck  in  a  cushion. 
We  are  not  repaid  for  picking  these  heads  of  bloom,  as  very  shortly  they 
fade ;  better  indeed  it  were  to  leave  them  in  the  marsh. 

PARTRIDGE  VINE.     CHECKER=BERRY.     SQUAW=VINE. 

MitchcUa  7'cpeiis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Madder.  White  or  flesh  colojir.  Fragrant.  General.  AJ>rii-July. 

Fl(nvers  :  terminal,  or  axillary,  two  grcnving  together  and  united  by  their  ovaries. 
Calyx-tube:  usually  four-lobed.  Corolla:  funnel-form,  four-lobed,  they  being  re- 
curved and  bearded  within.  Stamens:  four;  on  the  throat  of  the  corolla.  Pistil: 
cue.  Fruit  :  a  round,  scarlet  berry  formed  by  the  cohering  ovaries  of  the  flow- 
ers and  crowned  by  their  persistent  calyx  teeth.  Leaves  :  small  ;  opposite, 
petioled,  orbicular,  or  ovate,  blunt  at  the  apex  and  rounded,  or  cordate  at  the 
base;    dark  green  ;  lustrous;    evergreen,     6'/^wj' ;  trailing,  rooting  at  the  nodes. 

Beneath  the  trees  of  the  forest  where  day  and  night  a  silence  reigns 
and  all  is  far  from  human  habitation,  this  little  vine,  unconcerned  and  at 
home,  spreads  great  patches  of  its  small,  lustrous  leaves.  And  full  of 
sentiment  appear  the  sister  blossoms  united  curiously  at  their  bases  and 
combining  to  form  the  bright,  pulpy  fruit  so  much  sought  as  an  invigourat- 
ing  meal  by  ground-animals  and  birds.  Like  many  of  the  madders,  these 
complex  little  flowers  are  dimorphous,  a  fact  clearly  shown  to  us  by  the  long 
exserted  style  and  short  filaments  in  some  among  them,  and  by  just  the 
reverse  sizes  of  these  parts  in  others.  Well  into  the  winter  the  berries  last 
which  with  the  evergreen,  symmetrical  little  leaves  are  cheerful  things  to 
look  upon  as  the  woods  gradually  become  bare. 

GEORGIA  BARK.     CALICO  BUSH.     {Plate  CLVIII.) 

Pinckneya  piibcns. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Madder.         Pitik  and  purplish.       Scentless.      Florida  to  Soiith  Carolina.  May  ^  June. 

Flowers  :  growing  in  lateral  and  terminal  compound  cymes.  Calyx  :  pubescent ; 
oblong-obovate  with  five  pointed,  deeply  cleft  lobes,  one  of  which  in  the  outer 
flowers  frequently  becomes  a  large,  coloured  leaf.  Corolla  :  pubescent  ;  tubular 
with  five  linear,  recurved  lobes.  Stamens:  five,  exserted.  Pistil:  one ;  style, 
exserted.  Capsule  :  globose,  dark-coloured,  spotted  with  white  dots  and  even- 
tually splitting  in  sections  to  the  base.     Leaves  :  simple  ;  opposite,  with  pubescent 


i 


PLATE   CLVIll.     GEORGIA  BARK.     Pimhiiiwi  f^iihrns 
(477) 


478  THE  MADDER  FAMILY. 

petioles  ;  ovate,  or  oval;  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  into  margined  petioles 
at  the  base;  entire,  one-sided  at  maturity,  glabrous  above,  pubescent  underneath, 
especially  along  the  veins.     A  shrub,  or  small  tree. 

Along  marshy  banks  of  streams,  or  through  pine-barren  districts  of  the 
far  south,  the  natives  seek  this  shrub,  or  small  tree,  that  they  may  peel  its 
bark  to  use  as  a  substitute  for  quinine.  The  most  interesting  feature  per- 
haps of  its  attractive  blossoms  is  the  way  one  or  rarely  two  of  the  calyx 
lobes  of  certain  of  the  cyme's  flowers  becomes  a  large,  pink  floral  leaf,  cast- 
ing a  gleam  of  colour  brighter  even  than  the  purplish-spotted  corolla. 


THE  HONEYSUCKLE  FAMILY. 

Caprifoliacere, 
Trees,  sJwiibs,  vines  or  herbs  with  simple,  or  pinnate,  opposite  leaves 
mostly  without  stipules,  and  which  bear  regular,    or  irregular,  perfect 
flowers  with  gamopetalous  corollas  and  mostly  growi?ig  in  cymes.     Sta- 
mens on  the  corolla  and  alternating  with  its  lobes. 

HOBBLE=BUSH.     TANGLE-LEGS.     AMERICAN  WAY- 
FARING TREE. 

Viburniun  alnifbliuni. 
.'family         colour         odour  range  time  of  bloom 

Ho7ieysuckle.         White.     -       Scentless.         North  Carolina  and  Tennessee         May^June. 

northward  and  luesttuard. 

Fei'tile  flowers :  \\xi-^  \  growing  in  dense,  terminal,  sessile  cymes  and  being  sur- 
rounded by  radiate,  neutral  flowers.  Pedicels  :  thickly  covered  with  a  pinkish 
scurf.  Ca/jx  :  five-toothed.  Corolla  :  with  five  small,  rounded  lobes.  Stamens: 
five,  on  the  throat  of  the  corolla.  Neutral  flowers  with  usually  five  rounded  lobes. 
Drupes  :  bright  red,  turning  later  to  purple,  or  black  ;  not  edible.  Leaves  :  simple  ; 
with  thick,  densely  pubescent  petioles  ;  orbicular  or  broadly  ovate,  abruptly 
pointed  at  the  apex  and  cordate  at  the  base  ;  pinnately  veined  ;  doubly  serrate  ; 
dark  green  above,  and  covered  thickly  along  the  under  veins  with  a  thick  scurfy 
pubescence.     A  much-branched  shrub.      Tioigs :  scurfy. 

Along  the  slopes  of  the  high  mountains  in  North  Carolina,  often  where 
deep  shadows  fall,  this  viburnum  is  most  conspicuous  among  the  shrubbery. 
Its  branches  sprawl  often,  or  lie  over  on  the  ground  forming  great  loops 
which  root  readily  from  their  ends.  By  this  means  it  trips  up  many  that 
seek  to  pass  through  its  meshes,  and  the  natives  have  therefore  deemed 
"  Devil's  shoestrings  "  a  not  inappropriate  designation.  It  is  one,  however, 
which  they  seem  to  hold  in  readiness  to  bestow  on  the  slightest  provocation 
to  several  plants. 

Not  all  the  A'iburnums  have  the  showy  neutral  flowers  which  remind 
us  somewhat  of  those  of  some  hydrangeas.     In   fact,  among  the  number 


THE  HONEYSUCKLK  FAMILV 

4/9 

here  mentioned,  the  hobble-bush  is  the  only  one  that  uses  tncm  as  a  means 
of  attracting  desired  insects.  The  shrub  is  undoubtedly  the  handsomest  of 
the  genus  as  represented  in  our  range,  and  grows  through  ilic  IJig  Smokies 
to  a  height  of  quite  fifteen  feet.  In  the  autumn  its  foliage  turns  to  beautiful 
shades  of  wine-colour.  It  is,  it  would  seem,  to  be  regretted  that  it  is  .so 
difficult  of  cultivation. 

V.  acerifblium,  maple-leaved  arrow-wood,  dockmakie.  while  having  no 
showy  neutral  flowers  like  those  of  the  i)receding  species,  makes  quite  a  gay 
flutter  of  bloom  with  its  many  small,  perfect  flowers,  growing  as  they  do  in 
longpeduncled  cymes.  Its  leaves  also  are  graceful,  being  palmaiely  veined. 
almost  orbicular,  and  lobed  in  a  way  resembling  maple  leaves.  The  drut)e.s 
are  nearly  black.  From  North  Carolina  it  grows  northward  and  westward 
and  usually  is  found  in  open,  rocky  woods. 

V.  dciitatiim,  arrow-wood,  altogether  one  of  the  most  pleasing  of  the 
genus,  has  pinnately-veined  leaves,  broadly-oval  or  ovate,  which  all 
around  are  coarsely-dentate.  Its  abundant  cymes  of  perfect  flowers  ter- 
minate long  peduncles,  and  the  drupes  they  later  develop  are  blue,  or  nearly 
black.  As  it  occurs  southward  the  shrub  keeps  well  in  the  mountains' 
shade. 

V.  primifbliiun,  black  haw,  or  stag-bush,  rather  a  constant  and  pretty 
bloomer  from  April  until  June,  is  found  in  dry  soil  and  througli  a  range  ex- 
tending from  Florida  and  Texas  to  Connecticut.  It  is  a  small  tree  some- 
times, and  may  be  recognised  by  its  finely  serrulate,  ovate  or  broadly  oval 
leaves,  which  are  smooth  and  taper  into  petioles  very  slightly  winged.  The 
bluish-black  drupes  are  covered  with  a  bloom,  and  are  agreeably  sweet  and 
good  to  eat.     In  the  autumn  the  foliage  turns  to  orange  and  purple. 

V.  riifotomeiitbsiDn,  southern  black  haw,  opens  in  early  April  its  pretty 
flowers  which  grow  in  compound  cymes,  and,  noticeable  on  their  short, 
grooved  pedicels,  is  a  reddish  scurf.  Very  slight  this  is  in  comparison,  how- 
ever, with  the  dense,  deep,  red  velvety  tomentum  which  covers  the  leaf, 
stalks,  and  buds  and  extends  along  the  veins  on  the  under  sides  of  the 
leaves.  Besides  the  elliptical  or  obovate  leaves  there  are  many  also  which 
in  outline  are  bbcordate.  All  are  finely  serrate,  thick  and  glossy.  Usually 
we  find  this  species  of  \'iburnum  growing  as  a  small  tree  to  about  twenty 
feet  high. 

V.  obcnuitum,  small  viburnum,  occurs  in  swamps  or  along  river-banks  from 
Florida  to  Virginia  and  is  a  shrub  of  fioni  two  to  eight  feet  high.  Even 
in  March  it  sends  forth  its  abundantly  flowered,  sessile  cymes  growing 
from  lateral  and  terminal  leafy  shoots.  The  leaves,  like  the  flowers,  are 
small,  and  are  moreover  obovate,  or  oblanceolatc,  ami  at  maturity  quite 
smooth.     The  drupes  are  oval  and  black. 


48o  THE  HONEYSUCKLE  FAMILY. 

YELLOW  HONEYSUCKLE. 

Loiiicera  fiava. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Honeysuckle.         Deep  yellow.         Fragrant.         Alabama  to  North  Caro-         April-June. 

Una  and  Kentucky.  Fruit:  September. 

Fhnoers :  gxQ)Vi\x\^  in  a  short,  crowded,  terminal  spike.  (7(7/i'x ."  minutely  five- 
toothed,  contracted  at  the  throat.  Corolla  :  slender  ;  tubular,  deeply  two-lipped, 
the  tube  not  swollen  at  the  base,  the  limb  four-cleft,  within  pubescent.  Stajnens  : 
long  exserted.  Berries  :  bright  orange-red.  Leaves :  opposite  ;  those  near  the 
flower  united  at  their  bases  about  the  stem  ;  the  lower  ones  sessile,  or  with  short 
petioles  ;  broadly  oval,  or  elliptical  ;  entire  ;  bright  bluish  green  above  ;  glaucous 
below.  Stem  :  slightly  twining  to  occasional  heights  of  five  or  six  feet,  or  trailing  ; 
woody,  glabrous. 

In  a  more  than  usually  beautiful  genus,  the  yellow  honeysuckle  is  one  of 
the  most  lovely  and  fragrant  of  all.  It  grows  through  the  upper  districts 
mainly  on  mountain  slopes,  and  its  many  flowers  have  the  look  of  being 
subtended  by  the  upper  leaves,  stiff  and  united  about  the  stems.  That  their 
corolla's  limb  is  so  deeply  divided  gives  also  these  blossoms  an  open  look, 
full  of  grace  and  beauty. 

L.  dibica,  small  yellow  honeysuckle,  grows  through  the  mountains  of 
North  Carolina  either  in  a  twining  way  or  as  a  shrub.  Its  yellowish  green 
corolla  is  strongly  tinged  with  purple,  and  although  the  flowers  are  produced 
numerously  in  their  clusters  they  are  not  nearly  so  attractive  as  those  of 
Lonicera  flava.  Especially  on  the  young  shoots  the  leaves  display  their  ten- 
dency to  unite  about  the  stem. 

L.  scuiperinrens,  trumpet,  or  coral,  honeysuckle,  woodbine,  shows  its 
gay  spirit  and  energy  in  its  exquisite  scarlet,  or  yellow,  flowers  which  hang 
gracefully  from  near  the  ends  of  the  stalk.  Their  large  tube  is  narrow  and 
the  limb  almost  regularly  lobed.  The  upper  leaves  unite  about  the  stem 
.and  are  very  thick  and  evergreen  through  its  southern  range.  The  plant  is 
charming  also  when  crowned  with  its  round,  scarlet  berries. 

L.  Japonica,  Japanese,  or  Chinese  honeysuckle,  might  be  a  lesson  to  many 
a  native  vine  of  sluggish  habit,  for  most  readily  it  makes  its  way,  covering 
acres  in  places  and  devouring  much  that  would  hinder  its  progress.  It  has 
been  naturalised  from  eastern  Asia  but  also  has  abundantly  escaped  in  such 
regions  as  were  suited  with  the  soil  and  climate.  All  know  its  white  and 
yellow  flowers  growing  in  pairs  on  short  peduncles,  and  which  exhale  a  fra- 
grance more  sweet,  it  seems  to  me,  than  that  of  any  other  flower — a  fra- 
grance for  the  open  air  when  life  is  gaily  astir  in  early  June. 


THE  HONEVSUCKLK  FAMILV.  4S1 

HONEYSUCKLE.  (/'/.,/,  CJJX.) 

Dia-7-illa  scssilij'olii x . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

//.>uys..M..         Greenish  ycllcv.         ScentUss.     Mou„Un,s  oj  AM,.,n,n         J.fysJ!',.^, 

to  .\o,t/t  Carol  I  Ha.  ■>      ^       f 

Fhnuers  :  growing  in  upright,  axillary  or  terminal  cymosc  clusters  wl.ith    tnn... 
nate    leafy   shoots.     Calyx  :  elongatetl,    with     five     awl-shaped    teeth.     C 
fiinnel-form    with    five   spreading,    unequal    lobes,   the   lower   one   Ik-Imc   - 
bearded  and  often  touched  with   red.     Shnnens :  five  on  the  tube  of    the  . 
exserted.     Pistil:   one;  stigma   rounded;  large.     C<i/>snlis  :    oblong;  two  \ 
with  many   seeds.     Leaves:  opposite;    large,   sessile  or    occasionally  tlas|,..,i    ..v 
their  bases;  ovate-lanceolate,  taper-pointed    at   the  apex;  serrate;  thin  ;  glabrous- 
bright  green  above;  lighter  below.      vSVf///;  branching;  deep  red  ;  erect.'  ' 

Perhaps  one  of  the  greatest,  although  subtle,  charms  of  this  erect,  bush- 
like  honeysuckle  is  the  brilliant  spots  of  red  which  Heck  its  leaves  while  ihcy 
are  still  green  and  even  touch  here  and  there  the  pale  yellow  (lowers. 
Again  in  the  late  season  these  leaves  turn  to  ruddy,  rich  shades  <jf  broiuc 
and  red,  and  are  then  most  attractive.  For  these,  as  well  as  its  other  good 
qualities,  it  is  now  much  desired  as  a  border  plant  in  cultivation. 

It  was  Buckley  who  named  the  plant,  and,  in  fact,  discovered  it  on  the 
high  mountains  of  North  Carolina;  but  little  is  known  in  connection  with 
the  circumstances,  for  it  w^as  one  of  his  peculiarities  tb.at  he  made  few  notes. 
Often  even  his  labels  wei-e  written  without  dates  and  localities.  We  there- 
fore must  look  mostly  to  the  plant  to  tell  its  own  story. 

D.  Diervilla,  bush  honeysuckle,  occurs  also  through  the  mountains  of 
North  Carolina  and  northward  and  is  a  shrub  of  from  two  to  four  feet  high. 
Its  leaves  have  distinct  although  short  petioles  and  are  mostly  oval.  The 
fragrant  flower,  its  yellow  corolla  tinged  with  red,  affords  with  its  glands 
full  of  nectar  a  satisfying  meal  to  even  the  hungriest  bees. 


L 


-§ 


THE  BELLFLOWER  FAMII^Y. 

Cai)ipauulai'C(C. 

In  our  species  herbs  icu'l/i  acrid  or  fni/kv  Siip,  altcrnnte  lenves,  icit/i- 
out  stipules^  and  ivhicli  bear  perfect  fioicers  in  various  forms  of  infforfs- 
cences,  their  corollas  bei/i^:^  gauiopetalous  and  the  tube  of  the  calyx  adnatf 
to  the  ovary. 


PLATE  CLIX.     HONEYSUCKLE.     Diervilla  sessilifolia. 
(482) 


THE  BELLFLOWKR  JA.MIIA'.  ^S3 

PANICLED  BELLFLOWER. 

Ca)npd)iula   divari'cdta, 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

BellJlo7oer.  hhcc.  Sc.-nt/rss.  Gvor^cuitoln^inia.  J^m^.W^umfr,. 

Flo'verst  tiny;   nodding  from  thread-like  pedicels  in  spreading  ami  compound 
panicles.      Calyx:    with     five     hnear    teeth.      Corolla:    canipanulalc,     fivc-Lu.! 
Stamens:  five;  included.     Pistil :  ow^\  the  style  protruding;    stigma,'  three 
Leaves:    the  upper  sessile;  linear  to  lanceolate  sharply  serrate;  bright  grctn 
brous;  the  lower  petioled,  usually  broader.     Stems:  one  to  three  feet  high  •  erect  • 
wiry;  smooth ;  paniculately  branched.  '  ' 

In  travelling  through  the  high  mountains  of  this  bellflowcr's  range,  it 
seemed  as  though  wherever  there  was  an  opening  in  the  woods  or  a  road 
had  been  cut  through,  the  plant  had  found  its  way  to  the  stronger  light  and 
sunshine.  Over  the  very  edges  of  high,  rocky  banks  it  leaned,  and  it  was 
relatively  as  well  anchored  to  the  soil  by  its  delicate  fibres  as  was  an  oak  by 
its  great,  uncovered  roots.  Constantly  we  saw  fine,  fleecy  sprays  of  its  liny 
flowers.  A  bumble-bee  lit  on  one  that  I  noticed,  and  the  whole  plant  bended 
with  his  weight. 

G.  Ajncricd7ia,  tall  wild  bellflower,  a  bold  and  enchanting  beauty  of  digni- 
fied aspect,  something  like  a  larkspur,  is  found  through  moist  thickets  and 
woods  and  sometimes  looms  tall  and  high  on  the  roadside's  bank.  By  its 
wheel-shaped,  sky-blue  or  white  corollas  and  long,  upward-curved  style,  it 
is  known,  and  often  densely,  as  well  as  loosely,  the  flowers  grow  in  leafy 
spikes  from  one  to  two  feet  long.  The  leaves  jnostly  are  lance(ilate  and 
serrate. 

Legouzia  perfoliixta,  Venus'  looking-glass  or  clasping  belHlower,  has  an 
individual  way  of  bearing  its  cleistogamous  blossoms.  Usually  two  or  three 
of  these  peculiar  flowers  lie  in  the  bottom  of  the  cordate  leaves  that  tightly 
clasp  the  stem,  and  such  blossoms  appear  like  little  buds.  Although  these 
never  open  they  are  abundantly  fertile.  Only  those  that  reach  the  lop  of 
the  stem  unfold  and  display  their  wheel-shaped  violet,  or  blue,  corollas.  The 
very  leafy  and  hairy  stem  is  mostly  simple,  but  again  is  branched  and 
sometimes  even  prostrate.  Over  an  extended  range  it  seeks  to  grow  in  dry 
woods  and  fields. 


SOUTHERN  L0E5EIJA. 

Lobelia  anuviui. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Belljlozver.         Bltie  or  white.         S,.tntl.ss.         Ftorida  to  .W'ftlt  Carolin.i.        J  u!yO<l,*hfr, 

Fhnvers  :  growing  profusely  in  a  close,  one-sided  raceme  with  many  small  bracl*. 

Calyx :  \y\\.\\   five     linear    lubes,    the   sinuses   without  apj>end.iges.     C^'rcH.ituh: 


484  THE  BELLFLOWER  FAMILY. 

straight;  divided  to  the  base  on  one  side.  Two-lipped,  the  lobes  at  each  side  of 
the  opening  erect,  recurved,  the  lower  three  ovate.  Stamens  :  five,  their  fila- 
ments united  into  a  tube.  Pistil:  one;  stigma,  two-lobed  and  having  about  it  a 
ring  of  hairs.  Leaves  :  oblong,  or  oblong-lanceolate,  the  lower  ones  petioled,  the 
upper  ones  nearly  sessile;  dentate;  thin.  Stem:  erect;  two  to  four  feet  high, 
nearly  smooth. 

One  day  a  young  boy  who  had  found  in  a  swamp  this  beautiful  lobelia 
told  me  with  the  mysterious  air  of  great  discovery  that  it  was  "  just  like  a 
red  flower"  he  knew,  "only  blue."  Evidently  he  meant  the  cardinal  lo- 
belia, and  his  eye  had  been  caught  by  the  slit  in  the  corolla  and  by  other 
similarities  of  construction.  The  genus  is  certainly  one  readily  recognised 
and  very  lovely  in  the  summer  and  early  autumn.  Sometimes  through  the 
same  swamp  a  number  of  them  will  be  found  not  far  distant  from  each 
other— the  southern  lobelia  with  its  corolla  intensely  blue,  a  chaste  and 
beautiful  flower  ;  the  little,  pale,  spiked  one  of  azure  colour ;  the  great, 
flaming  cardinal  one  ;  and,  taller  than  all,  the  great  lobelia.  It  is  then 
most  interesting  to  regard  them  separately. 

L.  syphilitica,  great  lobelia  or  blue  cardinal-flower,  lingers  in  bloom  until 
late  in  October  and  sometimes  attains  in  the  south  astonishing  height  and 
proportions.  Twice  I  measured  stalks  of  it  over  four  feet  tall.  They  grew 
by  a  brook's  side  in  the  high  mountains  of  western  North  Carolina,  were 
abundantly  leafy  and  would  have  been  coarse-looking  had  they  not  been 
redeemed  by  the  very  numerous  pale-blue,  though  bright,  flowers.  The 
stout  stem  is  pubescent,  and  the  calyx  hairy,  while  its  sinuses  show  large 
deflexed  appendages. 

L.  piibcriila,  downy  lobelia,  a  species  of  sandy,  moist  soil,  is  all  over 
finely  puberulent  and  often  slightly  sticky  to  the  touch.  It  is  smaller  and 
much  more  slender  and  delicate-looking  than  the  great  lobelia,  and  it  bears 
its  sprightly  blue  flowers  in  a  spike-like  leafy  raceme.  Its  obovate  or  ob- 
long leaves,  moreover,  are  quite  thick. 

L.glatidulosa,  glandular  lobelia  {Plate  CLX),  which  we  found  abun- 
dantly in  bloom  in  early  October  through  the  sandy  soil  of  Florida  and 
Georgia,  even  outlining  the  way  of  trolley-cars  over  flat  country,  bears  but 
few,  rather  delicate-looking  flowers  in  its  raceme-like  spike,  and  the  simple 
nearly  naked  stem  is  also  but  sparingly  leaf3^  Those  leaves  that  do  occur 
are  linear-lanceolate  or  linear  and  glandular-dentate  about  their  margins. 
The  plant  is  seldom  seen  further  northward  than  southern  Virginia. 

L.  cardinalis,  cardinal-flower,  red  lobelia,  is  a  wild  flower  about  which  the 
nation  might  feel  a  righteous  pride,  so  intensely  coloured  and  velvety  in 
texture  are  its  flowers,  defying  the  artist's  pigments  to  imitate  them,  and 
forming  against  their  background  of  dark  green  and  lustrous  leaves  a  wild 
bit  of  colour  almost  without  equal.     Happily  the  plant  is  well  known  and  its 


PLATE  CLX.     GLANDULAR  LOBELIA.     Lohclij  ghnJiiIosj. 
{485) 


486  THE  BELLFLOWER  FAMILY. 

range  very  general.  Old  men,  urchins  and  little  maids  all  seek  it  by  the 
brook's  side.  Some  among  them  call  the  flowers  "  nosebleed,"  not,  however, 
a  pretty  name.  They  are  used  to  dye  with,  and  that  they  give  up  pretty 
freely  their  colour  can  be  seen  by  letting  the  corollas  fall  in  water,  which 
then  soon  turns  to  their  own  hue.  Country  belles,  1  have  been  told  by  one 
initiated,  make  from  the  flowers  a  fluid  with  which  to  touch  up  their  cheeks. 

L.  padulbsa,  swamp  lobelia,  thrives  in  the  waters  of  swamps  and  ponds, 
being  an  aquatic.  Its  stem  is  nearly  destitute  of  leaves,  and  those  immersed 
or  near  the  base  are  flat,  spatulate  and  glandular-dentate.  The  pale  blue 
flowers  are  quite  small. 

L.  spicdta,  pale  spiked  lobelia,  a  slender,  usually  small  one  of  the  genus, 
although  occasionally  growing  as  high  as  the  great  lobelia,  is  known  by  its 
very  small,  very  pale  blue  flowers  produced  densely  in  long,  raceme-like 
spikes  through  which  are  interspersed  many  linear,  entire  bracts.  The 
broadly-oblong,  or  obovate,  leaves  near  the  base  are  commonly  in  tufts  ; 
those  of  the  stem  are  narrower,  pale  green  and  sessile.  The  plant's  range  is 
rather  general. 

L.  ififlata,  Indian  tobacco,  wild  tobacco,  asth-ma  weed  or  gag-root,  abun- 
dant over  an  extended  territory  through  thickets  and  dry  fields,  is  decidedly 
weedy-looking  with  its  small,  light-blue  flowers  quite  overshadowed  by 
numerous  thin,  oval,  or  obovate  dentate  leaves.  The  plant  moreover  branches 
as  a  panicle  and  is  pubescent.  Its  stem  and  leaves  are  very  acrid  to  the  taste, 
poisonous,  in  fact,  and  have  been  used  in  domestic  practice  as  an  emetic.  But, 
more  than  for  any  other  purpose,  have  the  Indians  dried  them  for  smoking 
as  a  substitute  for  tobacco,  to  which  they  are  somewhat  similar  in  their  bitter 
taste. 


THE  CHICORY  FAHILY. 

Cichoridcec^. 

Through  our  rajige  herbs  possessed  of  milky,  or  acrid,  juices,  basal,  or 
alterjiate,  stem-leaves  afid  perfect  flowers  all  alike,  which  grow  i?i  involu- 
crate  heads. 

Corolla  :  gamopetalous,  tubular  and  having  a  strap-shaped  toothed  limb.  Fruit : 
an  achene  generally  bearing  scales  or  bristles  which  represent  the  limb  of  the  calyx, 
called  the  pappus. 

Among  common  plants  too  well  known,  too  often  trodden  on,  to  be  more 
than  recalled  as  being  members  of  the  Chicory  family,  there  is  the  dandelion, 


The  first  vie^u  ice  had  of  Grandfather  Mountain  was 
from  the  road  after  Tue  had  left  Linville.  Then  beside  an  ad- 
joining peak  ice  saiu  it  reposing  in  deep  shadow.  Slowly  a 
few  ehnids  moved  h}\  resting  so?neti??ies  for  an  instant  on  the 
tip  of  the  massi7'e  nose.  Everywhere  were  rocks.  Through 
the  abundant,  kindly  groioth  that  throve  on  its  surface,  the 
visage,  ivhile  stern  and  undisturbed,  seemed  not  unfriendly. 
Fro77i  certain  points  it  looked  to  be  a  double  peaked  mountain, 
the  iivo  far  apart,  rugged  and  rocky  ;  but  from  other  positions 
they  appeared  to  blend  peaceably  into  the  one  grave,  old  face. 

(CLXT ) 


THE  CHICORY  FA.NULV.  487 

or  blow-ball,  Taraxacum  taraxacum.  Often  through  open  fields  in  the  south 
it  attains  a  height  almost  unknown  in  the  north.  Its  young  rosettes  of  leaves 
in  early  spring  make  so  good  a  salad  that  it  seems  strange  they  arc  not  thus 
used  among  the  country  people.  They  prefer,  however,  t<.  Ijoil  these  leaves 
as  a  pot  herb,  or  to  make  from  them  a  tonic  renowned  for  purifying  the  blood. 

Sonchus  olerdceus,  hare's  lettuce  or  sow  thistle,  might  better  be  called 
folk  salad,  for  as  such  it  is  gathered,  as  well  as  to  boil  as  a  vegetable.  In 
fields  and  waste  places  it  occurs,  being  one  of  the  Kuropean  weeds  now 
here  abundantly  naturalised. 

S.  dspcr,  usually  a  smaller  sow-thistle  with  innumerable  sharp  spines  about 
its  leaves,  has  also  become  abundant  as  an  introduced  weed. 

Tragopbgon  porjifblius,  a  handsome  one  of  the  chicories,  is  also  the  com- 
mon salsify,  oyster-plant,  the  root  of  which,  with  its  flavour  similar  to  that 
of  an  oyster,  is  much  used  as  a  vegetable.  Through  our  r.ingc  ilv  pl.un. 
which  is  a  native  of  Europe,  mostly  occurs  as  an  escape. 

Cichdriuin  Intybus,  wild  chicory,  or  blue  sailors,  although  so  old  and  well 
known  an  inhabitant  of  America,  is  also  a  European  by  birth.  Hardly,  how- 
ever, has  it  a  rival  in  its  cheerful,  sprightly  aspect,  and.  for  variety,  it  occurs 
in  blue,  pink  and  white.  Until  late  in  the  season  it  lingers  in  bloom,  long 
after  the  grass  has  faded  and  golden-rods  have  died  down  to  the  ground. 
At  about  the  noon  hour  the  fiowers  close.  Unfortunately  its  roots  are  used 
largely  to  adulterate  coffee,  to  which  they  give  a  distinct,  and  to  many  a  dis- 
agreeable, flavour. 

DWARF  DANDELION. 

Adopbgo)i  moiitdnu])i. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Chicory.         Deep  yellow.         Scentless.         Mountains  of  Xortli  Carolina.  May-.Xu^utt. 

Flmuers :  solitary,  growing  at  the  end  of  peduncles,  six  and  eight  inches  long. 
Flcnvers:  ligulate;  numerous;  mostly  five-toothed  at  the  apex  and  enclosed  in  an 
involucre  of  from  six  to  fifteen  lanceolate,  jiointed  bracts.  Basal  leaves  :  lonjj, 
pinnatifid.  Ste7n  leaves:  linear-spatulate,  rounded  or  bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex; 
thin;  glabrous.     vS'/'^/z/j:  two  to  five  inches  high.     Kootstock:'s>\\()X\. 

Like  little  golden  dandelions  appears  the  young  bloom  of  this  rare  Adopo- 
gon,  which  grows  through  the  high  mountains  of  North  Carolina.  Here  it 
thrusts  its  heads  from  the  crevices  of  rocks  or  sits  very  jauntily  out  on  their 
warm  surfaces,  where  it  basks  freely  in  the  sunshine.  Occurring  in  tufts  the 
pale  blue-green  tint  of  the  tender  leafage  blends  with  the  deep  yellow  bloom 
and  produces  an  aesthetic  effect  altogether  charming. 

The  Adopogons  are  nearly  all  smooth  herbs  and  have,  as  a  mark  of  their 
genus,  rounded  scales  to  the  pappus  which  occurs  either  with  or  without 
inner  bristles, 


488  THE  CHICORY  FAMILY. 

A.  Virginiciim,  Cynthia,  or  Virginia  goat'sbeard  {Plate  CLXIT),  also  a 
perennial,  an  unusually  handsome  member  of  the  genus,  being  large,  pro- 
duces on  its  branched  stem  a  number  of  heads  of  deep,  reddish  orange 
flowers,  which  open  when  the  day  is  warmest  and  close  at  night.  But  one 
or  two  leaves  occur  on  the  stem,  where  they  clasp  it  at  the  base  of  the 
flowering  peduncle.  In  oak-barrens  and  moist  mountainous  woods  the 
plant  stretches  upward  sometimes  as  high  as  two  feet. 

A.  dandelion,  dwarf  dandelion,  or  goat'sbeard,  which  through  our  range 
occurs  from  Florida  to  Maryland,  produces  a  solitary  flower-head  about  an 
inch  in  breadth  at  the  end  of  a  long,  naked  scape.  The  leaves  tufted  about 
its  base  are  spatulate,  or  linear-lanceolate,  dentate,  smooth  and  often  glau- 
cous. As  they  mature  many  of  them  become  delicately  tinted  with  purple. 
An  interesting  point  about  the  plant  is  that  from  the  ends  of  its  thread-like 
stolons  it  develops  small  and  rounded  tubers, 

A.  Carolinidnum,  Carolina  dwarf  dandelion,  has  a  range  extending  from 
Texas  and  Florida  to  Maine  and  is  the  tiny,  graceful  individual  so  fre- 
quently seen  in  sandy  soil.  Probably  more  often  than  not  it  is  mistaken  for 
the  ordinary  small  dandelion.  From  its  tuft  of  basal  leaves  arise  slender, 
glabrous  or  pubescent  scapes  which  bear  the  flower-heads.  As  the  seeds 
fall  it  is  noticeable  that  the  thin  lanceolate  bracts  of  the  involucre  become 
strongly  reflexed. 

There  is  in  this  genus  but  one  other  species,  namely  Adopogon  occiden- 
tal, an  inhabitant  of  the  western  prairies. 

FLORIDA  LETTUCE.  FALSE  LETTUCE. 

Lactuca  Floridana. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Chicory. 

Blue. 

SccntL-ss. 

Florida  and  Louisiana 
to  New  York. 

July-Sipteinbcr. 

Flower-heads  :  growing  on  slender  scaly  peduncles  in  a  large,  spreading  racemose 
panicle.  Involucre  :  cylindrical,  imbricated,  the  outer  row  of  bracts  being  irreg- 
ular and  considerably  shorter  than  the  others.  Rays  :  squared,  and  five-toothed 
at  their  summits.  Stylediranches :  '&\q\\A^x.  Pappus:  white.  Leaves:  alternate; 
lyrately  pinnatifid,  toothed,  the  terminal  lobe  being  large,  taper-pointed  and  three- 
angled,  very  variable;  the  upjier  leaves  lanceolate  and  sessile,  thin,  smooth  above 
and  pubescent  along  the  ribs  underneath.  Stevi  :  three  to  seven  feet  high 
branched  above  as  a  panicle  ;  leafy;  smooth. 

Perhaps  this  is  not  a  very  attractive  plant,  but  surely  it  is  one  which 
through  open,  moist  places  frequently  excites  our  interest  enough  to  make 
us  wonder  what  it  is,  and  where  in  the  great  world  of  flowers  it  takes  its 
place.  The  genus  to  which  it  belongs  has  a  milky  juice,  a  fact  to  which  the 
Latin  name  is  an  allusion.  Included  in  it  are  many  species,  but  mostly  their 
flower-heads  are  small  and  the  leaves  rather  coarse-looking. 


m^^^ 


PLATE   CLXII.     CYNTHIA.      .■fJopoiroii  i'uguiuuni. 


490  THE  CHICORY  FAMILY. 

L.  villbsa,  hairy-veined  blue  lettuce,  bears  also  small  heads  of  blue  flowers, 
which  grow  in  a  narrow  paniculate  inflorescence.  The  numerous  stem- 
leaves  are  ovate,  or  oblong,  and  abruptly  narrowed  at  the  base  where  the 
blade  is  contracted  into  the  wings  of  the  petiole.  On  their  undersides 
they  hav^e  many  short,  stiff  hairs. 

L.  Caiiddoisis,  tall  wild  lettuce  or  wild  opium,  is  a  common  thing  along 
roadsides,  and  in  many  places  it  grows  sometimes  ten  feet  high,  its  great 
basal  leaves  becoming  a  foot  long.  Its  ray  flowers  are  yellow,  and  through- 
out the  plant  is  smooth.  The  white  pappus,  however,  is  particularly  lus- 
trous and  silky.     Humming  birds  gather  it  as  a  lining  for  their  nests.     . 

LYG0DE5MIA. 

Lygodcsniia  aphylla. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Chicory.  Rose-colour,         Scentless.  Florida  and  Georgia.  April-Septeuiber. 

Fiozuer-heads  :  so\\\.7iry\  five  to  ten  flowered,  showy.  Involucre:  cylindrical, 
the  five  to  eight  scales  linear,  thin ;  and  the  exterior  ones  being  very  short. 
A'rty/j  ;  quite  large,  minutely  toothed  at  their  apices.  Pappus:  of  smooth  white 
hairs.  Leaves  ;  long  ;  filiform  ;  stiff;  smooth;  the  upper  ones  becoming  bract-like 
•and  remote.  Stem  :  one  to  two  feet  high,  smooth;  simple,  showing  forked 
branches. 

Of  the  genus  Lygodesmia,  this  slender,  smooth  plant  is  in  the  south  the 

representative.     It  may   be   found    through    grassy    pine-lands  and    sandy 

barrens  and  only  becomes  conspicuous  when  its  extremely  pretty   flowers 

are  in  blow.     At  other  times  its  stiff  foliage  is  too  grass-like  and  meagre  to 

attract  the  attention. 

LEAFY=STEnnED  FALSE  DANDELION. 

S// ilic IS  Ca  rolm idna . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME   OF  BLOOM 

Chicory.  Yellozv.  Scentless.         Texas  and  Florida  to  Delaware.        April-July. 

Flower-heads:  large;  solitary  at  the  ends  of  long  bracted  peduncles.  Involucre: 
double;  pubescent;  oblong,  the  inner  and  principal  bracts  regular,  partly  united  ; 
the  outer  ones  irregular,  and  often  spreading;  in  fruit  becoming  reflexed.  Rays  : 
squared  and  five-toothed  at  their  apices.  Styles  :  with  short  branches.  Pappus: 
of  reddish  brown  hairs.  Leaves  :  those  from  the  base,  oblong-lanceolate,  tapering 
into  a  margined  petiole  mostly  coarsely  and  deeply  dentate  or  pinnatifid;  those  of 
the  stem  lanceolate,  mostly  sessile;  dentate  or  entire;  smooth.  Stems:  two  to 
five  feet  high,  branched,  leafy;  smooth  or  slightly  pubescent  below. 

No  true  dandelion,  I  am  sure,  although  not  an  especially  modest  flower, 
would  ever  presume  to  raise  its  head  as  high  as  do  these  large  false  ones  of 
bright  yellow.  The  leafy  stems  also  mark  the  plant  distinctly.  The  genus 
to  which  it  belongs  is  not  a  large  one,  there  being  knov/n  in  North  America 
and  Mexico  but  six  species. 


THE  CHICORY  FANUIA.  4.^ 

RATTLESNAKE=WEED.     SNAKE  PLANTAIN. 
HAWKWEED.     {^PUilc  CLX//J.) 

lUcrdciu III  7 'ill OS u in . 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Ckuory. 

Oran^e-yclloxv. 

Sctntlfss. 

Kentucky  and  (, 
to  Ontat  ii>. 

tor gin 

M.iylKtct'.,. 

F/iKiw r-/i c'tt (/s :  smM;  mxmcroufi;  growing  on  slender  peduncles  in  lateral  and 
terminal,  spreading,  coryndjose  panicles,  hn'olucrc  :  cainpanulale,  its  outer  row 
of  bracts  abruptly  smaller,  five-toothed.  Aclieiws  :  oblong,  or  linear  ;  not  beaked. 
Leaves  :  those  about  the  base  tufted  ;  obovate-oblong  ;  mostly  blunt  at  the  apex  and 
narrowed  into  margined  petioles  at  the  base;  entire,  or  glandular,  dentate,  cil- 
iate;  smooth  or  slightly  hirsute  on  the  under  sides  of  the  usually  purplc-tintcd 
veins.  S/c'iii-/c'(17ys:  one  to  three,  oblanceolate;  sessile.  S/e///  :  one  t<»  three 
feet  high;  slender;  glabrous;  or  with  a  few  hispid  hairs  below;  pur|)lc-tinted. 

Very  often  throughout  the  summer  we  encounter  tills  plant,  ami  csiH-cially 
familiar  it  looks  when  blooming  in  dry  woods  with  Lacinaria  scariosa  not 
far  distant.  It  belongs  to  a  genus  of  many  members  which  bear  a  rather 
strong  resemblance  to  each  other,  but  the  peculiar  veining  with  purple  of 
this  one's  large  basal  leaves  is  a  most  pronounced  mark  of  its  individual- 
ity. The  country  people  group  it  with  those  plants  of  supposed  virtue  in 
curing  the  bites  of  rattlesnakes,  and  they  apply  the  flat  leaf  quickly  to  such 
wounds.  It  seems  that  this  superstition  appeals  mostly  to  their  credence 
whenever  some  colouring  of  a  plant  is  suggestive  of  the  reptile's  skin. 

H.  Mariamim,  Maryland  hawkweed,  chooses  its  home  in  pinc-barrcns 
and  dry  woods  of  mountainous  districts,  where  numerously  are  seen  its 
small  flower-heads  growing  on  slender,  somewhat  hoary,  peduncles.  The 
stem  above  is  paniculately  branched,  and,  although  it  bears  from  two  lo 
seven  leaves,  the  principal  ones  are  those  of  the  base.  They  are  ascending 
and  quite  hairy  underneath,  especially  when  young.  As  of  the  preceding 
species,  the  pappus  is  brown. 

H.  paiiiciildtum,  panicled  hawkweed,  shows  the  trait  of  having  large- 
lanceolate  stem-leaves  which  taper  to  a  point  at  their  bases  and  bears  its 
numerous  small  flower-heads  on  thread-like  peduncles  in  a  long  and 
divaricately  branched  corymbose  panicle.  Throughout  the  plant  is  nearly 
smooth. 

H.  scabrum,  rough  hawkweed,  indeed  rough  and  weedy-looking,  has  an 
intensely  hairy  stem  on  which  are  borne  large  leaves,  the  upper  ones  being 
oval,  or  ovate,  and  sessile ;  and  the  lower  ones  oblong-obovaie  and  tapering 
into  margined  petioles.  Its  numerous  large  flower-heads  are  produced  in  a 
racemose  panicle  and  become  very  conspicuous  in  fruit  when  the  papjnis  is 
yellowish  brown. 


PLATE  CLXIII.     RATTLESNAKE-WEED.     H ier actum  venosum 
(492) 


THE  CHICORY  FAMILY.  ^,^3 

H.  Grondvz'i,  hairy  hawkweed,  as   its  English    name   implies  is  « 
about  the  lower  stem  with  whitish  hairs  which  also  arc  scattered  over  ihc 
leaves.     Often  the  upper  part  of  its  stem  is  quite  lealless. 

GALL=OF=THE=EARTH.     LIONS-FOOT. 

Ndbalus  scrpoitarius. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Ch  icory. 

Cyi'a)ii-colou)\ 

Scentless. 

Floriiia  and  Alnbanui 

Julylhtol-tr . 

or  yellowish. 

northward. 

Flcnvers :  drooping  from  the  ends  of  pubescent  peduncles  .inri  frrowing  in 
axillary  and  terminal  panicles.  //i7'o/iic n' :  cyUm\ricii\  ;  green  or  tinted  with 
j)urple,  and  covered  with  white  hairs.  /\ays  :  squared  at  the  summit  and  tooilictl. 
S/j/es  :  long-branched.  Leaves  :  alternate,  oblong,  very  variable  ;  pinnaiely  .ind 
irregularly  three-  to  seven-lobed  or  pinnatifid  and  tapering  at  the  base  into 
margined  petioles;  sparingly  pubescent  or  nearly  smooth  on  both  surfaces.  Stem  : 
one  to  four  feet  high  ;  smooth,  or  occasionally  slightly  })ui)cscent. 

Tall,  weedy-looking  plants  are  these,  and,  although  we  notice  their  bell- 
shaped  and  drooping  flower-heads,  they  are  quite  without  the  charm  of 
colour.  It  is  well  to  know  them,  however,  for  often  quite  unsought  they 
confront  us,  especially  in  the  late  season  when  little  else  is  in  bloom.  The 
original  Indian  name  from  which  the  generic  appellation  was  taken  meant 
rattlesnake-root,  as  these  plants  are  among  those  credited  with  a  mastery 
over  the  serpent  referred  to.  Our  present  species,  in  fact,  not  infrequently 
passes  under  the  name  of  snake  gentian.  All  of  the  species  herein  included, 
with  the  exception  of  Nabalus  virgatus,  are  to  be  found  in  the  moist  soil  and 
thickets  of  high  mountains. 

N.  virgatus,  slender  rattlesnake-root,  shows,  on  the  contrary,  flowers  of  a 
charming  deep  pink  or  of  white,  their  involucral  bracts  being  purplish.  The 
clustered  heads  grow  in  a  very  narrow  and  wand-like  thyrsus,  while  il)e 
leaves  are  sinuate,  pinnately  parted,  or  lanceolate  and  entire.  It  is  one 
exclusively  of  the  coast  region,  occurring  from  Florida  to  New  Jersey. 
Along  the  St.  John's  River  w^here  stories  of  snakes  are  now  more  abundant 
than  alligators,  I  was  told  of  many  magical  cures  of  snakes'  bites  brought 
about  through  the  efficacy  of  this  plant. 

A",  dlbiis,  wild  lettuce,  or  gall-of-the-earth,  has  also  the  principal  bracts  of 
its  involucre  of  pale  purple,  while  the  strap-shape  limb  of  its  flowers  is 
greenish  or  cream-colour  and  the  pappus  of  cinnamon-brown.  Tiie  leaves 
are  angularly  from  three- to  five-lobed  varying,  however,  greatly  in  outline,  as 
the  upper  ones  are  usually  entire.  Purplish  and  glaucous  often  appears  the 
stem  which  grows  at  most  five  feet  high.  The  plant  is  also  one  strongly 
believed  to  be  a  rattlesnake-master. 

N.  altisshnus,  tall  white  lettuce,  with  its  slender  green  involucral  bracts 
and  straw-coloured  pappus,  appears,  in  fruit  especially,  v<rv  .litTcrc  p.:  fr.-Mi  its 


494  THE  CHICORY  FAMILY. 

preceding  relative.  Its  leaves  then  are  thin  and  a  bright  yellow-green,  and 
also  vary  greatly  in.  outline,  many  being  palmately-lobed  and  cordate  and 
others  occurring  entire  and  tapering  into  a  margined  petiole.  The  flower- 
heads  are  but  five  to  seven  flowered. 


THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 

Composites. 

Generally  herbs,  more  rarely  shrubs  or  tropical  trees,  7vith  perfect 
flowers  grooving  closely  in  a  head  on  the  receptacle  and  surrounded  by  an 
involucre  of  bracts  arranged  by  one  or  many  series. 

Corollas:  either  tubular,  all  alike,  usually  five-lobed  or  cleft;  or  having  the 
margined  flowers  with  an  expanded  limb,  or  ray.  Leaves:  opposite,  alternate,  or 
from  the  base,  and    stems  mostly  containing  a  watery,  or  resinous,  juice. 

Many  indeed  of  our  common  herbs  of  pasture,  our  wayside  friends,  are 
members  of  this  great  tribe  and  clamour  for  an  entrance  through  these 
pages.     We  can  but  mention  them,  as  mentally  they  arise  before  us. 

White,  or  ox-eye  daisy.  Chrysanthemum  Leucanthemum,  honoured  with 
a  different  name  by  almost  every  child  that  picks  it  in  England,  is  now 
much  too  well  naturalised  in  this  country  to  overjoy  the  farmer  who  has  to 
struggle  with  its  aggressiveness  throughout  the  season.  Then  there  is 
Tansy  Tanacetum  vulgare.  showing  its  small  golden  heads  along  the  road- 
sides, where  no  doubt  it  has  escaped  from  cultivation  in  the  land  of  its 
adoption. 

The  May-weed  or  fetid  camomile,  Anthemis  Cotula,  with  its  propensity 
for  straying  along  the  very  edges  of  roadways  and  again  appearing  through 
fields  and  waste  places,  is  still  another  conspicuous  weed  that  has  become 
naturalised  from  Europe.  It  is  thought  to  be  the  plant  physician  in  country 
lore,  with  the  ability  to  cure  those  that  are  sickly  when  simply  placed 
beside  them. 

Also  a  member  of  the  Thistle  family  is  the  great  bur  or  burdock,  Arctium 
Lappa,  a  coarse  biennial  or  short-lived  perennial,  naturalised  from  Europe 
and  now  common  in  waste  places.  Its  bristly  bur-like  involucres  have  no 
beauty  ;  but  little  boys  find  them  capital  things  to  throw  in  their  sisters'  hair. 

Milfoil,  or  yarrow,  Achillea  Millefolium,  with  its  traditionary  record  of 
virtue  and  with  dense  corymbs  of  white  or,  more  rarely,  pink  blossoms,  is  also 
from  Europe.     To  make  a  good  turf  it  has  been  found   useful  in   the  west, 


THE  TIirSTLK   FAMILY.  ^.^5 

but  it  makes  one  that  must  be  cut  down  very  often.     In  the  far  west  there  is 
now  known  to  be  one  or  more  native  species  of  Acliilk-a. 


BROAD=LEAVED  IRON-WEED. 

Verjibtiia  glaiica. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

riiistle.  Magenta.  SccntUss.  Louisiau.i  ami  ]-lori,la  AtnimtSffif,,,    ., 

to  I'ennsylvania. 

Flo7ver-hcads  \    growing  on.slender  peduncles  in  loose  cvmose  |)aniclcs.     /. 

iicre:  campanulate,  with  pointed,  ovate  bracts.  F/imwrs  :  all  alike,  tuhular,  ihc-ir 
corollas  five-cleft.  Pappus  :  straw-colour,  of  both  bristles  and  scales.  Leavn  : 
alternate,  obovate  or  broadly  oval,  sessile,  or  the  lower  ones  with  short 
margined  petioles  ;  sharply  and  coarsely  serrate,  paler  beneath  than  above  ;  thin, 
smooth,  or  finely  pubescent  along  the  underveins.  S/i-m  :  tw(j  to  five  feet  hi^h  ; 
erect  ;  branched  ;  smooth. 

When  white  carrots  whiten  the  fields,  and  daisies  cloud  the  landscape,  and 
boneset  and  yarrows  and  golden  asters  are  everywhere;  then  one  may  know 
that  the  day  of  the  great  order  Compositas  has  come  and  that  triumphantly 
they  will  wave  until  bitten  down  by  the  early  frosts  of  winter.  In  the 
autumn  they  spread  their  warm  brilliant  colours,  harmonising  well  with  the 
changes  that  are  taking  place  in  the  tree-tops,  and  boldly,  lavishly— for  there 
is  nothing  mean  about  them — they  cover  the  often  bare  spots  of  the  earth. 
Among  them  all  none  is  more  vividly  coloured  than  are  the  iron-weeds  with 
their  heads  of  magenta  flowers  shaped  somewhat  like  miniature  thistles.  So 
high  they  grow  sometimes  that  a  man  cannot  reach  their  summits.  The 
broad-leaved  one  stays  mostly  in  the  woods,  while  others  grow  best  in 
moist,  low  grounds,  or  follow  roadside  banks. 

V.gi'g-antea,  tall  iron-weed,  attains  not  infrequently  the  great  height  of  ten 
feet,  a  truly  wild  fiower.  During  August  and  September,  in  different  parts 
of  North  Carolina  I  saw  it  towering  over  many  things,  or  being  just  on  a 
level  with  the  tallest  Joe  Pye  weeds.  Its  tlower-heads  are  small,  but  pro- 
duced most  abundantly,  and  show  in  fruiting  time  a  magenta  or  magenta- 
brown  pappus.  The  leaves  are  lanceolate,  fuiely  serrate,  also  deep  green  on 
both  sides. 

V.  No7>eborachtsis,  flat  top,  or  iron-weed,  grows  sometimes  nearly  as  tall 
as  Vernonia  gigantea  and  is  the  more  commonly  known  species  of  the 
mountain  region.  Early  in  July  it  begins  to  show  the  brilliant  magenta 
colouring  of  its  tubular  flowers.  The  bracts  of  the  involucre  are  dull  pur- 
plish and  are  tipped  with  slender  points  suggestive  of  a  fringe.  Through 
moist  soil  and  along  the  banks  of  rivers,  it  is  of  all  the  coiiiposites  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous. 


496  THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 

BLUE  STOKESIA.     {Plate  CLXIV.) 

Stokesia  l&vis, 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle,  Blue  or  Scentless.         Louisiana^  Georgia  Juneyjuly. 

purplish  blue.  and  South  Carolina. 

Floiuei'-heads :  large,  terminal,  the  central  flowers  all  tubular,  the  marginal 
ones  radiant;  the  rays  cleft  at  the  summit.  Involucre:  bracted,  rounded,  the 
outer  scales  with  leaf-like  bristly  appendages  ;  the  inner  ones  smaller,  lanceolate. 
Leaves:  alternate  ;  lanceolate  ;  those  from  the  base  tapering  into  long,  smooth 
petioles,  those  on  the  stem  sessile,  the  upper  ones  bristly  at  their  bases  ;  entire. 
Ste7n  :  one  to  one  and  one-half  feet  high,  erect,  slightly  pubescent. 

Less  coarse-looking  and  almost  more  beautiful  than  any  other  one  of  the 
composites  is  the  very  rare  blue  Stokesia,  which  only  in  certain  known  locali- 
ties through  wet  pine-barrens  can  readily  be  found.  It  stands  rather  alone,  a 
unique  individual  in  the  great  order,  for  botanically  it  has  no  near  relatives. 
Its  great  toppling  heads  of  flowers,  frequently  purely  blue,  remind  us  more 
of  some  cultivated  asters  than  wildings  of  remote  places.  An  interesting 
point  in  connection  with  the  plant  is  the  apparent  gradation  of  its  stem-leaves 
into  bracts  as  they  approach  the  flowers.  In  looking  at  it  one  is  confirmed 
in  the  belief  of  the  morphology  of  the  foliage  into  the  flower.  In  honour  of 
Sir  Jonathan  Stokes,  an  English  botanist,  the  plant  has  been  named. 

THOROUQHWORT. 

Eupatoriiim  incaniatum. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.  Deep  lavender.         Scetitless.  Texas  and  Florida  Septetnber-October. 

to  North  Carolina. 

Flmver-heads :  growing  in  numerous  loose  cymes  at  the  ends  of  long  axillary 
shoots.  Involucre:  campanulate,  short,  with  many  lanceolate,  or  linear,  pointed 
bracts.  Flozuers  :  all  tulDular,  regular,  and  but  little  longer  than  the  bracts. 
Corolla  :  five-toothed.  Style-branches :  exserted.  Leaves :  opposite  with  long 
slender  petioles  broadly  ovate,  taper-pointed  at  the  apex  and  squared,  or  cordate, 
at  the  base,  the  margins  outlined  with  blunt-pointed  teeth  ;  thin  ;  somewhat 
coarse.  Stem  :  erect  or  reclining  ;  much  branched,  two  to  four  feet  high,  leafy, 
more  or  less  pubescent. 

Of  this  large  and  buoyant  genus  of  plants  this  one  is  a  rather  slender  thing 
and  not  at  all  well  known.  Its  leaves  are  perhaps  its  chief  feature  of  beauty, 
for  the  flower-heads  although  very  numerous  are  also  very  small.  It  hides 
in  the  woods,  where  in  rocky,  rich  soil  it  thrives  best. 

Happily  we  all  know  Joe  Pye  weed  and  Boneset,  two  conspicuous  Eupa- 
toriums  ;  and  through  the  likeness  of  others  to  them  we  are  often  able  to 
connect  such  individuals  with  the  genus. 

E.  pujpureinn,  trumpet-weed,  or  as  more  familiarly  called  "Joe  Pye," 
grows  to  be  one  of  the  tallest  and  most  conspicuous  of  the  thistle  family. 


PLATE   CLXIV.     BLUE  STOKESIA.     Slok.sij  LrvL^. 
(497) 


498     .  THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 

Early  in  August  it  begins  to  unfold  great  masses  of  pinkish  crimson  flowers 
and  raises  them  on  a  stem  which,  when  well  located  in  some  warm,  moist 
place,  grows  perhaps  ten  feet  high,  the  principal  leaves  on  the  stem  being  in 
whorles  of  usually  six,  giving  it  a  pronounced  symmetrical  look.  They 
are  long  ovate,  or  ovate-lanceolate,  thin  and  nearly  smooth.  Near  the  top 
of  the  stem,  however,  they  often  occur  opposite  to  each  other.  The  name 
Joe  Pye,  long  associated  with  this  plant,  is  in  commemoration  of  an  Indian 
doctor  who  travelled  through  New  England  and  was  reputed  to  cure  typhus 
fever  through  its  use. 

E.  capillifblium,  hog-weed,  or  dog-fennel,  bears  but  little  casual  resem- 
blance to  the  foregoing  species.  On  its  stem  the  leaves  are  crowded  in 
alternate  positions  and  are  pinnately  divided  into  thread-like  segments. 
Combined  with  this  fine  foliage  the  charm  of  the  plant  lies  in  the  soft,  fluffy 
look  of  its  many  small  flower-heads  of  greenish  white.  It  is  found  usually 
in  dry  fields, 

E.  album,  white  thoroughwort,  another  notable  member  of  the  genus,  grows 
but  from  one  to  three  feet  high,  producing  opposite,  oblong-lanceolate, 
sessile  and  coarsely  toothed  leaves,  and  flower-heads  of  w^hite  in  spreading 
and  terminal  clusters. 

E.  coelestimtm,  quaintly,  called  the  "  mist-flower,"  from  the  soft  haze  of 
its  violet-blue  blossoms  growing  with  bell-shaped  involucres  in  small  com- 
pact heads,  is  further  known  by  its  opposite,  slender-petioled  leaves  being 
ovate  with  a  truncate  base. 

E,  perfoliatum,  boneset,  common  thoroughwort,  or  Indian  sage  as  this 
plain,  well  known  plant  along  the  waysides  is  variously  called,  is  always 
recognisable  by  its  opposite,  lanceolate  leaves,  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and 
which  about  the  stem  are  connate-perfoliate.  It  is  a  sturdy,  stout  individual, 
much  branched,  and  the  young  growth  is  woolly,  pubescent.  In  the  small 
heads  are  compactly  produced  many  greenish  white  flowers  often  fluffy-looking 
from  their  protruding  stamens.  From  time  almost  immemorial,  boneset  has 
been  utilised  to  make  into  a  strengthening  tea.  It  is  something  that  the 
"  yarb  doctor "  never  forgets.  As  about  borage  and  vervain,  an  old 
superstition  exists  that  it  will  not  thrive  far  away  from  human  habitations. 

CLIMBING  HEMP=WEED.     {Plate  CLXVI.) 
Willuo-hba;a  scd?idens. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle. 

White^  or  pink. 

Sceniiess. 

Texas  and  Florida  to 
Ontario  and  zvestward. 

Jiily-Septetnber. 

Flozver-heads :  growing  in  lateral   and    terminal    compound    clusters  and   being 
composed  of   tubular  flowers   only.     Irn'olucre :  with  four  linear,  pointed  bracts. 


^^ 


PLATE   CLXVI.      CLIMBING   HEMPWEED.      HUlughha,  scaudn.s. 
(499J 


500 


THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 


Corolla:  regular  campanulate  ;  five-cleft.  Style-branches :  very  long.  Leaves: 
simple;  opposite,  with  slender,  smooth  petioles  ;  cordate  or  slightly  hastate  and 
tapering  at  the  apex  to  a  point;  entire,  or  obtusely  dentate.  A  smooth,  twining 
vine. 

Sometimes  to  the  length  of  eighteen  feet  twines  this  herbaceous  vine,  as 
in  swampy  ground  it  vigorously  makes  its  way  among  other  forms  of 
growth.  The  flowers  especially  in  their  pink  form  are  pretty,  and  it  is 
through  their  arrangement  rather  than  by  the  plant's  manner  of  growth  that 
we  at  once  connect  it  with  the  Composite.  Another  common  name  by 
which  it  is  designated  is  "  boneset,"  but  generally  we  prefer  to  reserve  this 
for  the  faithful   old  Eupatorium  perfoliatum. 


HANDSOHE  BLAZING  STAR. 

Lacinaria  clegajis. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF   BLOOM 

Thistle. 

Pinkish  lavender. 

Scentless. 

Texas  and  Florida 
to  Virginia. 

A  iigust-October. 

Flower-heads :  growing  prolifically  in  a  long,  cylindrical  and  leafy  spike.     Invo- 
lucre:  campanulate,  the    bracts   usually  in   three   series  of  which 
the  inner  ones  are  lanceolate  and  extend  into  petal-like,  lavender 
tips,  fluted  about  their  margins.     Corolla:  regular;  tubular;  with 
T\\lij/^,       five,  pointed  lobes  and  pubescent  on  the  outside.     Pappus:  fine; 
rtii^^     plume-like.      Leaves:  simple;  alternate;  sessile;  pointed,  often 
bluntly  so  at  the  apex  ;  entire  ;  punctate  ;  becoming  small  among 
the    flowers.     Ste?ns:  two    to  four  feet  high;  erect;  very    leafy; 
densely  pubescent  and  arising  from  a  round  tuber. 


Lacinaricf., 


One  day  late  in  October  in  a  low,  sandy  meadow 
near  Savannah,  Ga.,  we  found  a  goodly  company 
of  blazing  stars  and  golden-rods  all  growing  in  a 
state  of  luxury  fairly  astonishing.  Never  before 
nad  we  seen  any  that  approached  them  in  splen- 
dour. The  bold,  high  spikes  of  this  particular 
plant  were  so  densely  flowered  that  the  finger  could 
hardly  be  thrust  in  among  the  blossoms.  Many  of  them 
were  of  a  soft,  rosy  lavender  shade,  far  more  effective 
than  the  white  form,  while  others  approached  a  deep 
purple.  Some  of  the  spikes  also  were  nearly  a  foot  and 
a-half  long,  an  almost  incredible  statement  to  those  that 
have  only  gathered  them  further  northward.  In  the 
same  meadow  were  other  species  of  blazing  stars,  and, 
as  they  were  interspersed  among  tall,  plume-like  grasses, 
I  appreciated  for  the  first  time  the  full  beauty  of  the 
genus. 

In  parts  of  the  west,  so   I  have  been  told,  comets  are 


IP^ 


After  we  had  left  the  highway  where  the  siui  poured  freely 
down  we  entered  the  inore  shaded  road  leading  to  Ccesar's 
Head^  and  stopped  before  an  old  ruin  at  the  foot  of  the  hills. 
Without  the  enclosure  grew  a  high,  ungainly  locust  tree,  and 
shrubby,  odd-looking  sycamores  leaned  against  the  cru?nbli?ig 
walls.  But  for  them  the  spot  icould  have  seemed  strangely  de- 
serted. Joe  Pye-weed,  tall  and  sentifiel-like,  was  guardian  of 
the  scene, 

(CLXV.) 


THE  THISTLK  I-AMILV 


;oi 


called  blazing  stars,  and  it  is  because  these  plants  shoot  out  somewhat  like 
comet-tails  that  this  Knolish  name  has  been  given  them.  Through  ihc 
South  they  are  rather  generally  looked  upon  as  raiilcsnake-niasicrs. 

L.  scaribsa,  large  button-snakeroot,  gay  feather,  or  blue  blazl' 
another  and  unusually  handsome  one  of  this  varied  genus,  produ.  .s  ,is 
flowers  in  rounded,  compact  and  sicnder-pcdunclcd  heads  quite  distant 
from  each  other  on  the  stem.  The  obovate  scales  of  involucres  arc  rounded 
at  the  apex  and  margined  with  transparent  purple,  or  while.  Aiogg  the 
stems,  showing  much  lanceolate,  entire  foliage,  the  inflorescence  extends 
often  eighteen  inches.     The  plant  itself  is  known  to  grr)w  fjuile  six  feet  tall. 

L.  sqtiarrosa,  scaly  blazing  star,  or  colic  root,  may  be  regarded  as  rather 
a  small  species,  it  seldom  growing  over  two  feet  high.  At  its  summit  a  few 
large  heads  of  pinkish,  crimson  flowers  are  borne,  extremely  pretty  and  gav- 
looking.  Of  its  involucre  the  lanceolate  bracts  are  spreading,  very  stiff  and 
pointed  almost  as  sharply  as  spikes.  The  leaves  are  pale  green,  linear,  often 
narrowly  so  and  also  rigid.  It  is  this  species,  perhaps  more  than  any  other, 
which  is  sought  as  a  rattlesnake-master.  From  the  globular  tubers  a 
decoction  is  made,  "  powerful  good  "  to  cure  snake-bites. 

L.  spicata,  dense  button-snakeroot,  backache  root,  or  also  called  Dcvil's- 
bite,is  known  by  its  small,  cylindric  and  sessile  heads  of  flowers  which,  how- 
ever, grow  very  closely  together  on  the  stem,  forming  thus  a  long,  dense 
spike.  Quite  grass-like  are  its  leaves  ;  the  lower  ones,  linear-lanceolate, 
clasp  the  stem  at  the  base  and  become  sometimes  a  foot  long.  The  plant 
is  also  one  that  grows  very  tall.  When  the  rattlesnakes  are  less  vicious 
than  their  wont,  it  seems  that  the  decoction  made  from  this  plant  is  held  in 
reserve  to  cure  backache. 

L.  Chapmanii,  which  inhabits  dry,  sandy  spots  in  Florida,  is  again  a 
small  species  at  most  about  two  feet  high,  but  usually  not  taller  than  twelve 
inches.  Its  cylindrical  flower-heads  are  mostly  three-flowered,  borne  close 
together,  forming  thus  a  dense  spike,  while  the  leaves  of  this  species  arc 
linear,  quite  thick  about  the  base  of  the  stem,  and  gradually  decrease  in  size 
until  they  become  bract-like  among  the  flowers. 

HOUND'S  OR  DEER'S  TONGUE.     VANILLA  PLANT. 

T> '  Hi  Si  I  odor  at  issim  <  i . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.         Deep  7>iagc)itii.         Foliage  fra^^runt.         Louisiana  ,tti,i  Septetni-rr,  ihtifhrr, 

Florida  to  Virginia. 

Flower-hcads:  seven  or  eight  growing  in  elongated  and  spreading  corymlKwe 
panicles.  Im'oliure:  of  nearly  equal,  oblong  scales,  inihi  icatc.  Coroilti:  inhuhir, 
with  five  spreading  lobes.  Styh'-lircim/ics:  greatly  c.xsei  ted.  I.t,r,rs  :  ahcrn.Uc, 
the  lower  ones  oblanceolate,  or  oblong,  roundeil  at  the  apex    and   t.»i""""    .'.<   »lte 


5o^  THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 

base  into  petioles;  the  upper  ones  ovate  or  oval,  sessile,  blunt  at  the  apex,  remotely 
toothed,  three  to  five  veined ;  fleshy ;  slightly  glaucous.  Stems:  two  to  three  feet 
high  ;  smooth ;  dark  reddish. 

Because  its  foliage  when  withered  exhales  a  scent  something  like  that  of 
vanilla  beans,  we  often  see  this  plant  hung  up  in  the  cabins  of  negroes,  and 
also  in  the  palmetto-thatched  cottages  of  many  white  people  throughout  the 
lower  district.  All  seem  to  regard  it  with  favour  and  also  make  it  into  bit- 
ters to  take  when  prostrated  by  fever.  But  it  is  in  the  flavouring  of  fine-cut 
tobacco  that  it  finds  its  greatest  usefulness.  For  this  purpose  the  plant  is 
gathered  in  enormous  quantities.  Although  again  and  again  assured  of  the 
likeness  by  the  natives,  it  was  rather  a  strain  on  my  imagination  to  see  that, 
more  than  many  others,  its  thick  leaves  resembled  the  tongue  of  either  a 
deer  or  a  hound. 

T.  pafiiculdta,  hairy  trilisa,  differs  principally  from  the  hound's  tongue, 
with  which  it  is  found  growing  through  many  a  flat  pine-barren,  in  having 
an  intensely  viscid  and  pubescent  stem.  Its  lower  entire  leaves  are  lanceo- 
late, or  oblong-ovate,  as  are  the  upper  smaller  and  sessile  ones,  while  the 
flower-heads,  which  greatly  resemble  those  of  the  companion  species,  form 
often  a  narrow  and  dense  panicle.  From  their  similarity  to  some  species 
of  blazing  stars  it  would  be  quite  excusable  to  confuse  either  of  these  plants 
with  certain  Lacinarias. 

Carphephoriis  corymbosus.     {Plate  CLX  VII.) 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle. 

Pinkish  lavender. 

Scetitless. 

Florida  to 
North  Carolina. 

September.,  October. 

Flo7ver-heads:  abundant,  growing  on  pubescent  peduncles  in  a  terminal  close 
corymb.  Involucre:  bell-shaped,  the  pale-green  rounded  bracts  membranous  and 
rounded  on  the  edges.  Corolla  :  tubular,  with  five  short  ovate  teeth.  Style- 
branches:  elongated.  Leaves:  alternate,  those  about  the  base  tufted ;  oblanceolate, 
blunt,  or  rounded,  at  the  apex;  those  on  the  stem  oblong  or  oval,  sessile,  rounded 
at  the  apex  and  pointed  upward;  entire;  fleshy;  smooth.  Stem:  two  to  four  feet 
high  ;  erect ;  simple,  very  pubescent ;  leafy. 

Little  that  grows  through  the  swamps  and  sandy,  wet  barrens  in  the 
autumn  is  more  beautiful  than  these  large,  fluffy  clusters  of  softly  coloured 
flowers,  with  their  velvety,  pale  apple-green  and  up-pointed  leaves.  The 
exquisite  rosette  of  leaves  at  the  plant's  base,  however,  makes  no  great  show. 
It  must  usually  be  sought  for,  as  it  is  well  hidden  by  tall  grasses.  In  the 
Floridan  swamps  we  saw  much  of  the  plant ;  but  through  the  low-lying,  wet 
ground  along  the  Talleyrand  road  which  leads  out  from  Jacksonville,  it 
appeared  in  great  abundance  and  was  most  lovely.  On  each  of  the  bunches 
we  gathered  there  was  one  to  strike  terror  to  the  very  soul  ;  a  great  spider, 
of  brassy  yellow  hue  and  with  a  round  fat  body. 


PLATE  CLXVIl.     Carphcphorus  coiymbosus, 
(503) 


504  THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 

C.  pscudo  liatris,  a  less  showy  species  than  the  one  already  mentioned, 
bears  long  linear  leaves  ;  the  basal  ones  of  which  are  crowded  and  the  upper 
ones  appressed  against  the  stem.  Its  terminal  corymb  moreover  is  rather 
small  and  dense,  and  the  whole  plant  is  slightly  hoary. 

C.  bellidefblius  is  known  by  its  large  heads  of  flowers  which  grow  solitary 
at  the  ends  of  a  leafy  peduncle  forming  thus  a  loose  corymb.  Of  the  in- 
volucre the  bracts  are  oblong,  rounded  and  fringed  at  their  apices,  and  more- 
over rather  unequal  in  size.  The  flowers' brilliant  crimson  corollas  have  five 
pointed  lobes.  About  the  plant's  base  the  leaves  are  lanceolate  and  clus- 
tered, while  on  the  stem  they  are  small,  distant  and  sessile. 

C.  tomejitosus,  which  resembles  greatly  a  Lacinaria,  occurs  through  the 
Carolinas  to  Florida  in  low  pine-barrens.  Its  flower-heads  are  produced  in 
hose  cymes,  and  the  leaves,  which  are  lanceolate  and  tufted  about  the  base, 
become  very  small  and  sessile  on  the  stem.  Very  noticeably  is  the  plant 
covered  with  tomentum. 


GOLDEN  ASTER, 

Chrysdpsis  pMbsa. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle. 

Golden. 

Scentless. 

Florida  and  Alabama  to 
North  Carol ifta  a  fid  Virginia. 

A  ngust-October. 

Flower-heads:  large,  growing  on  leafy  peduncles  in  a  terminal  spreading  corymb 
and  composed  of  both  ray  and  disk  flowers.  Involucre  :  campanulate,  the  bracts 
narrow,  imbricated  in  several  series  and  spreading.  Rays  :  oblong,  pointed  at  both 
ends.  Pappus:  of  both  sorts  of  flowers  alike  and  double.  Leaves:  alternate; 
oblong,  blunt  at  the  apex  ;  the  lower  ones  being  often  spatulate  and  narrowed  into 
petioles;  the  upper  one  sessile;  entire  ;  veined,  and  very  villous.  Stem:  one  to 
two  feet  high,  branched  above,  leafy  and  hoary  with  white  hairs. 

Among  the  golden  asters  this  one  of  dry,  sandy  fields  is  not  common, 
being  found  much  less  seldom  than  either  of  the  other  given  species.  It  is 
quite  a  large,  leafy  plant  and  of  coarser  aspect  than  usually  we  associate 
with  the  genus.  Still  its  heads  are  golden,  and  it  is  one  of  the  first  of  thR 
autumn  flowering  composites  to  come  and  one  of  the  last  to  go. 

C.  Mariana,  Maryland  golden  aster  with  its  large  golden  heads  of  blos- 
soms, is  always  a  cheery  individual,  and  either  in  dry,  open  woods  or  sandy 
spots  grows  from  about  one  to  two  feet  high.  It  is  happily  one  that  occurs 
very  often,  and  over  a  range  extending  from  Florida  and  Louisiana  to  south- 
ern New  York.  At  its  base  rests  a  large  tuft  of  spatulate  oblong  leaves  while 
those  on  the  stem  are  mostly  lanceolate  and  sessile.  With  the  exception  of 
silky  white  hairs  which  cling  to  them  loosely  and  fall  early,  they  are  quite 
smooth. 


THE  THISTLE  FANHLV.  505 

C.  graminifbHa,  silver  grass,  or  grass-leaved  golden  aster,  has  forme  ihc 
greatest  charm  Of  them  all,  as  it  grows  perhaps  side  by  side  with  thr  " 
aster  through  sandy  pine-barrens.  Its  tall  and  leafy  stem  is  c<>iisid<  ; 
marked,  as  is  its  grass-like  foliage,  with  white,  silky  and  lustrous  hairs,  giv- 
ing the  plant  an  intense  and  silvery  sheen.  The  ratlu.-r  small  but  very  at- 
tractive flower-heads  grow  on  softly  woolly  anil  leafy  peduncles,  and  thus 
form  a  spreading  corymb. 


PterbcauIo)i  pyoiostac/iyiDii.     {rialr  CI. W 1 1 1.) 

FAMILY       COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

ritistU-.  White.  Scentless.  Florida  to  North  Carolina.  JuMf.July. 

Floiver-heads :  growing  in  compact,    oblong  and  woolly  spikes,   and  com 
only  of  tubular  flowers.     Corolla  :  five-cleft,     f/n'olitcn- :  with  lanceolate  cai   . 
ing    scales,    imbricated    in    several    rows.     Papf^iis :   longer    than    llic    iiu-> 
Leaves  :  lanceolate,  narrowed  at  the  base  into  margins  which  extend  con>i«i«  ; 
below  the  point  of  attachment    on    the   stem  ;    irregularly    dentate  ;  dark    ^i- ■  i.. 
densely  tomentose  underneath  ;  and  somewhat  woully  ow  tJie  veins.     Stem  :  one  to 
two  feet  high,  simple  or  rarely  branched  ;  leafy. 

This  very  strange-looking  plant  is  found,  for  one  place,  about  .St. 
Augustine,  Fla.,  although  as  far  northward  as  the  Carolinas  it  sparingly 
occurs  in  the  damp,  sandy  barren  strip  of  country.  The  hoary,  thick  white 
undersides  of  its  leaves  are  noticeable,  and  the  way  the  leaves  e.vtcnd  along 
the  stem,  making  it  appear  as  though  winged,  appeals  to  us  as  a  rathrr  un- 
usual freak  in  its  ccwistruction. 


RAYLESS  GOLDEN=ROD. 

Chondrophora  midata. 

FAMILY         COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.  Yellow.  Scentless.  Florida  to  Xe'.u  Jersey.  .1  Uj^'uit-lKt.UiP . 

Flower-heads:  very  numerous,  growing  in  compound  corvmbose  cymes,  and 
composed  only  of  tubular  flowers.  Corolla  :  tubular  ;  five-cleft.  Iinoluert :  cani- 
panulate  ;  narrow,  with  appressed,  yellowish  green  imbricated  bracts.  I.e,nef: 
alternate  ;  the  lower  ones  spatulate  and  obtuse,  the  upper  ones  linear,  .sessile,  en- 
tire.    Stem  :  erect  ;  one  to  two  and  a-half  feet  high  ;  simple  ;  glabrous. 

Although  without  the  conventional  rays  of  golden-rod.  the  many,  tiny 
tubular  flowers  of  this  plant,  packed  snugly  in  their  llat  terminal  clusters,  form 
often  great  patches  of  yellow,  making  dull-looking  barrens  to  gleam  as  if  wit!) 
sunshine.  In  fact  it  is  only  when  thus  .seen  in  masses  of  colour  that  the 
plant  is  beautiful,  for  its  leaves  are  too  distant  on  the  stem  to  produce  much 
effect.  Through  the  moist  barrens  it  is  especially  charming  when  crowding 
in  and  about  equally  vigorous  gerardias. 


PLATE  CLXVIII.     Ptcrocaiilon  pjcnostachynim. 
(506) 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

Thistle. 

Deep  yelloiv. 

Scentless. 

Mouutains  of  Xorth  Car- 

^ 

olina  ami  Tennessee 

THE  THISTLE  EAMILV.  507 

GOLDEN-ROD.     {^Platc  CLX/X.) 
Soh'ddi^o  glomcrata. 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Au,:-'-  "■■      . 

Fhnuer-heads  :  growing  on  pubescent  peduncles  in  axillary  and  tcrniii 
and  including  both  radiate  and  tubular  Howers.     Involucre  :    of  sever. i 
inibricated-oblong-obtuse  green  bracts.     Rays  :  six  to  twelve,  oval,  roun 
apex.       Disk-Jlowers  :     numerous.      Leai'cs  :    large;    alternate;    oblanccoLile,    of 
oblong-ovate,  long  pointed  at  the  apex,  tapering  at  the  base  ;  serrate,  or  cnlirc,'  the 
midrib   prominent  on  the  under  side;  rather  thick;  smooth.     Stem:  stout;  erect; 
one  to  three  feet  high  ;  smooth  or  slightly  pubescent  above. 

It  was  about  this  golden-rod,  with  its  pretentious-looking  leaves  and 
great  compact  heads  of  flowers,  that  Dr.  Gray  wrote  after  a  visit  to  Roan 
Mountain  : 

"  Near  the  summit  of  the  mountain  we  saw  immense  quantities  of  a  low, 
but  very  large-leaved  solidago,  not  yet  in  flower,  which  I  take  to  be  the  Soli- 
dago  glomerata  of  Michaux,  who  could  not  have  failed  to  observe  such  a  con- 
spicuous and  abundant  plant,  especially  as  it  must  have  been  in  full  blossom 
at  the  time  he  ascended  this  mountain.  It  does  not,  however,  altogether  ac- 
cord with  Michaux's  description,  nor  does  that  author  notice  the  size  of  the 
heads,  which  in  our  plant  are  among  the  largest  of  the  genus." 

On  Grandfather  Mountain  in  the  last  of  October,  I  saw  the  plant  bloom- 
ing in  great  abundance.  It  could  not,  as  Ur.  Gray  had  said.  "  fail  to  be 
observed."  It  is  so  large,  so  brilliant  in  colouring.  To  the  high  summits  of 
such  mountains  it  confines  itself,  and  in  the  late  season  it  casts  over  t!>'n' 
much  beauty. 

S.  sfithamo'a.^  golden-rod,  another  species  of  the  high  mountains  it 
North  Carolina  and  Tennessee,  we  collected  on  Grandfather  Moiniiain.  n<«t 
far  distant  from  Solidago  glomerata.  It  grew  usually  from  eight  to  i\\ 
inches  high,  and  its  racemes  of  flower-heads  in  crowded  corymbs  app- 
immensely  heavy  and  dense.  The  ray  flowers  number  from  six  to  seven. 
and  the  erect,  stiff  stems  are  pubescent  above.  It  is  a  species  of  Dr.  M.  .\. 
Curtis,  who  collected  specimens  of  it  as  well  as  of  Solidago  glomerata. 

S.  inonticbla,  mountain  golden-rod,  which  also  follows  the  mountain's 
high  ridges  and  grows  over  a  district  extending  from  Georgia  and  .Mabnma 
to  Pennsylvania,  is  distinctive  by  its  very  thin,  sharply-serrated  leaves. 
broadly  oblong  and  by  its  close  heads  of  flowers,  which  grow  in  a  terminal 
and  spike-like  thyrsus.  In  the  moist  soil  of  woods  on  Ml.  Mitchell  it  is 
very  abundant. 


PLATE  CLXIX.     GOLDEN-ROD.     Solidago  glomerata. 
(508) 


THE  THISTLK  FAMILV.  309 

BLUE-STEMMED,  OR  WOODLAND  GOLDEN-ROD. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

FUnucr-heads :  growing  in  short,  roinulcd  and  axillary  clusters  or  raceme*.  In- 
volucre: with  appressed,  obtuse  scales.  Ravs:  three  t<i  five,  nuite  lart'c  Unx^fs- 
lanceolate,  long  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  to  a  margined  petiujc  at  ilic  base* 
or  nearly  sessile;  distantly  serrate,  yellow-green  above,  pale  bdow.  .snumth' 
iitem  :  two  to  three  feet  high;  slender;  branched  above;  leafy;  smooth;  bluish. 

One  of  the  most  graceful  of  all  the  golden-rods  is  the  blue-stemmed  one 
of  damp,  shady  woods.  Its  short  clusters  or  racemes  of  Mowers  hujj  closely 
into  the  axils,  nestling  it  would  seem  among  the  longer  leaves.  And  in  lis 
often  reddish  purple,  or  blue-coloured  stem  we  find,  it  may  be  remembered, 
a  good  guide  for  its  identification. 

S.  bicblor,  silver-rod,  is,  among  this  great  genus  remarkable  for  the  strong 
family  resemblance  of  its  members,  the  only  one  that  bears  other  than  yellow 
flowers.  They  are  silvery  white  and  grow  in  short,  a.xillary  clusters,  forming 
a  narrow,  compact  thyrsus.  Its  lanceolate,  or  obovate,  leaves,  long  pointed 
at  the  apex,  taper  at  the  base  into  margined  petioles,  or  higher  on  the  litem 
are  sessile.  Underneath  they  are  quite  pubescent,  while  on  the  purplish 
stems  these  white  hairs  are  also  conspicuous.  Early  in  the  season  the  silver- 
rod  first  blooms  and  until  the  late  autumn  is  a  familiar  figure,  as  it  stands  tall 
and  straight,  a  guardian  of  the  woods,  or  shines  through  the  liiickets  of 
road-banks. 

S.  pubcriila,  downy  golden-rod,  as  well  as  occurring  in  sandy,  rocky 
places  on  the  high  mountains,  follows  the  coastal  plain  from  Florida  and 
Mississippi  northward.  Its  inflorescence  presents  a  close,  long  thyrsus,  the 
individual  racemes  of  which  are  longer  than  the  lanceolate  leaves  from  the 
axils  of  which  they  are  produced,  and  the  bracts  of  the  involucres  are  very 
acute.     There  is  usually  over  the  plant  a  minute  pubescence. 

SWEET=SCENTED  GOLDEN-ROD.  BLUE  HOUNTAIN  TEA. 

Soliddi^o  odor  a. 

FAMILY         COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Tliistle.  Yclioiu.         Bruised  leaves^        Texas,  Floriiia  anii  Kfntucky  Juiy-Seftrmbtr, 

anise  scented.  northward  to  Xova  Scotia. 

FUnver-heads:  growing  in  one-sided,  spreading  racemes  in  a  tcrmieial  panicle. 
Involucre:  with  oblong,  pointed  bracts.  Rays:  showy,  three  to  four.  Lravfs: 
lanceolate,  long  pointed  at  the  aj^ex,  narrowed  and  sessile  at  the  base,  entire,  thin, 
glabrous,  punctate  with  ])ellucid  dots,  scented  like  anise.  Stem  :  two  to  four  feet; 
simple;  slender;  the  upper  part  slightly  pubescent. 

Although   about   the  flowers  of  this   golden-rod    there    is  nothing  very 


^lo  THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 

individual,  we  find  in  its  leaves,  emitting  their  strong  anise  scent,  an  unfail- 
ing mark  of  its  identity.  And  it  is  not  only  when  they  are  bruised  that  this 
odour  becomes  apparent ;  a  bunch  of  the  stems  in  a  room  will  soon  laden 
the  air  heavily.  To  many  this  is  not  at  all  agreeable.  It  is  one  of  the  earli- 
est of  the  family  to  send  up  green  stems  in  the  late  summer,  and  these  are 
often  objects  of  interest,  for  the  inflorescence  of  the  golden-rods  unfolds  in 
many  different  ways.  Some  wave  fleecy,  feathery  tops ;  others  are  almost 
without  shape  or  they  may  be  as  compact  and  stiff  as  rods.  But  no  one 
could  mistake  a  golden-rod  ;  the  question  is  simply,  though  often  one  diffi- 
cult to  answer,  just  what  species  has  come  up  before  us. 

S.  nemoralis,  dyer's  w-eed,  or  grey  golden-rod,  blooms  abundantly 
through  old,  dry  fields,  and  is  one  of  the  very  common  ones  of  the  order. 
Its  flower-heads,  we  notice,  are  grouped  in  a  pyramidal,  recurved  and  usually 
one-sided  panicle  appearing  like  a  plume,  and  the  rays  are  quite  showy. 
Over  the  plant  there  is  an  ashy,  greyish  sheen  cast  by  its  minutely  fine  and 
rough  pubescence.  The  lower  leaves  are  oblanceolate,  coarsely  serrate  and 
grow  in  a  tuft  about  the  base. 

S.  Canadmsis,  yellow  weed,  or  Canada  golden-rod,  although  bearing  very 
small  flower-heads,  is  an  extremely  showy  plant,  as  it  is  compactly 
grouped  in  great  numbers  on  the  long  and  recurved  branches  of  the  panicle. 
Its  leaves,  which  are  lanceolate,  triple-nerved  and  sharply  serrate,  are  very 
rough  especially  on  their  upper  surfaces,  and  are  paler  underneath.  While 
occurring  generally  through  the  northeast  and  northwest  territory,  the  plant 
also  extends  southward  to  Florida. 


WESTERN  DAISY. 

Bell  is  integrifblia. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle. 

White,  or 
pastel-blue. 

Scentless. 

Texas  to  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee. 

May-July. 

Fiower-keads:  terminal ;  solitary  with  both  ray  and  disk  flowers  enclosed  in  an 
involucre  of  lanceolate,  thin  and  pointed  bracts.  Ray-Jiowers  :  pistillate;  imbricated 
in  two  rows.  Disk-flowers:  bright  yellow,  oblong-linear,  numerous.  Leaves: 
those  from  the  base  tufted,  spatulate  ;  those  of  the  stem,  sessile;  oblanceolate  or 
linear,  blunt  or  pointed  at  the  apex  and  covered  with  fine  hairs  ;  thin.  An  annual, 
much  branched  herb,  six  to  fifteen  inches  high,  with  sparingly  hairy  or  smooth  stem. 

As  dainty  and  exquisite  as  some  of  the  transient  bloom  of  earliest  spring 
>^  is  this  fair  daisy,  which  reminds  us  somewhat  of  its  European  relative  gene- 
rally seen  in  cultivation.     Through  its  southern  range  it  grows  in  moist  soil 
and  has  oblong-linear  rays,  blue  or  purple  and  very  pretty. 


THE  THISTLH  FAMILY.  5,1 


Aster  Ciirtisii. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

Thistle. 

Violet-blue. 

Scentless. 

Mountains  oj  .\orth  Ca 
olina  and  lenntitte. 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Floiver-heads  :  axillary,  or  growing  in  broad,   loose  corymbs    and  cnr-  '     f 

both  ray  and  disk  flowers,  enclosed  in  an  involucre  of  green,  linear  an<. 
bracts.     Rays:  almost    linear,  violet-blue,  entire.     Disk-Jhriocrs  :    pak-    ' 
numerous.     Leaves:  alternate  ;  lanceolate  ;  the  lower  ones  tapering  at  the  base  into 
margined  petioles;  the  upper  ones  and  those  of  the  inflorescence,  sessile,  serrate- 
bright  green.     Stem  :  two  to    three    feet   high  ;   simple  ;    erect  ;  leafy  ;    deep  pur* 
pie,  or  brownish  ;  smooth. 

It  is  not  strange  that  the  people  of  the  mountainous  districts  call  the 
asters,  "  frost-flowers,"  for  when,  with  golden-rods,  their  white  and  purple 
flowers  strew  the  floor  of  these  sombre  heights  it  is  time  indeed  to  prepare 
for  the  winter.  Hardly  then  are  moments  taken  to  praise  their  beauty. 
Through  the  dry,  open  woods  of  the  mountainous  district  of  North  Carolina 
and  Tennessee — apparently  the  plant's  range— Aster  Curtisii  is  found,  one  of 
the  most  dainty  and  artistically  coloured  of  all  the  genus.  When  its  di.sk-tlow- 
ers  are  young,  they  are  light  yellow  or  nearly  white.  Only  as  they  grow  old 
do  they  turn  to  magenta.  Early  in  the  season,  sometimes,  when  the  .Sabbalias 
are  blooming,  there  may  also  be  found  close  and  rather  curious-looking 
heads  of  small,  ovate  and  pointed  leaves.  These  are  the  proliferous  flowers 
of  Aster  Curtisii,  or  rather  those  leaves  which  have  not  been  transformed 
into  flowers. 

From  the  summit  of  Mt.  Mitchell  a  bouquet  of  such  ones  was  brcnr^b.t 
to  me  combined  with  Sabbatia  angularis.     The  effect  was  charming. 

In  the  high  mountains  of  western  North  Carolina  our  attention  was  fre- 
quently directed  by  the  natives  to  what  they  termed  the  "  evergreen  aster." 
in  the  beauty  of  which  they  seemed  to  feel  some  just  pride.  The  plant 
was,  however,  lonactis  linariifolia, — stiff,  or  savory-leaved  aster,  and  it  is 
quite  true  that  nearly  throughout  the  winter  its  leaves  are  persistent. 

Aster  grandijlorus,  large-flowered  aster,  the  great  showy  one  of  the 
south,  thrives  well  from  Florida  to  Virginia  especially  in  the  Piedmont  region. 
Its  stem  is  divaricately  branched,  and  the  flower-heads  terminal  at  the  ends 
of  the  sprays.  Often  they  measure  as  much  as  two  inches  across.  The  ray- 
flowers,  of  deep  violet,  are  most  numerous.  Linear,  or  linear  lanceolate, 
are  the  stiff  and  entire  hispid  leaves  and  quite  without  any  imh.  li  cf  silvery 
sheen. 

A.  Elliott ii^  which  grows  through  the  swamps  from  Flon.i.i  i..  North 
Carolina,  is  another  remarkably  beautiful  species,  its  ray-flowers  being  pale 
pinkish  purple,  long  and  slender;  the  rather  small,  loose  bracts  of  the  Ih-II- 
shaped  involucre  being  nearly  equal  in   si/e,  ilu-ir   tips   slightly    spreading. 


512 


THE  THISTLE   FAMILY. 


The  numerous  leaves  are  oblong-lanceolate  and  pointed  at  the  apex,  and  are 
narrowed  at  the  base  into  margined  petioles,  or  the  upper  ones  are  sessile 
and  partly  clasping.  They  are  pale  green,  usually  roughened  on  both  sides 
and  often,  as  is  the  smooth  stem,  tinted  with  purple.  In  fruit  the  plant 
still  shows  its  colour,  for  the  pappus  is  sometimes  purplish. 

A.  ditmosus,  rice-button  aster,  bushy  aster,  belongs  to  quite  another  group 
of  this  large  order,  it  having  very  small  and  numerous  flower-heads  which 
grow  at  the  ends  of  slender  and  very  leafy  branchlets.  Of  the  involucres 
the  scales  are  membranaceous  about  their  margins  and  closely  imbricated 
in  from  three  to  six  rows.  The  leaves  spatulate-lanceolate,  or  linear,  are 
narrowed  at  the  base,  sessile  and  entire  or,  rarely,  sparingly  serrate,  while  on 
their  margins  they  are  quite  rough.  Through  either  dry  or  moist  soil  this 
species  is  very  common  and  subject  to  considerable  variations,  it  not  unfre- 
quently  occurring  in  a  white  form. 

A.  ericoides,  white  heath-aster,  frost- weed  aster  or  farewell  summer,  is  in- 
deed a  dainty,  late-blooming  white  one,  often  stop- 
ping to  greet  the  month  of  December  and  also 
well  known  from  Florida  to  Maine.  Its  very 
small  flower-heads  are  produced  singly  at  the  ends 
of  leafy  branchlets,  thus  forming  a  spreading  ra- 
ceme, and  its  stem-leaves  are  narrowly  linear  and 
sessile,  while  those  about  the  base  are  spatulate 
lanceolate  and  dentate.  Often  also  the  stem  and 
branches  are  quite  pubescent. 

A.  coficdlor^  lilac-flowered,  silky,  or  silvery  aster 
has  an  air  quite  distinctive  from  that  of  numerous 
other  asters,  and  is  unusually  pretty.  Besides  the 
beauty  of  its  large  flower-heads,  the  rays  of  which 
are  lilac  and  which  grow  on  ascending,  leafy  and 
axillary  peduncles  in  a  long  narrow  raceme,  or,  oc- 
casionally, panicle,  the  leaves  have  a  jaunty  ap- 
pearance. They  are  oval  and  sessile,  and  point 
upward  on  the  stem.  Over  them  there  is  on  both 
sides  a  fine  silvery  pubescence.  Also  the  reddish 
stem  is  usually  pubescent  with  a  white  wool.  Al- 
though sometimes  found  to  be  branched,  the  stem 
usually  is  simple,  and  so  compactly  arranged  are 
both  leaves  and  flowers  that  the  plant  somewhat  suggests  one  of  the  blazing 
stars.  It  blooms  almost  as  early  as  the  golden  asters  and  often  in  their 
neighbourhood. 

A.  pdtcjis,  late  purple  aster,   or  purple  daisy,  is  known  from  its   having 


Aster  patens. 


THE   TlilSTLK    1  A.MILV.  2,. 

oVate-oblong-  leaves,  which  are  deeply  cordate  and  clasping  at  the  base. 
They  are,  moreover,  entire  and  exlreniely  rouj^di  on  the  margins  and  upper 
and  lower  surfaces.  The  widely  divergent  stems  bear  at  the  ends  of  leafy 
branchlets  large  flower-heads,  measuring  often  somewhat  over  an  inch  in 
diameter.  The  bracts  of  the  top-shaped  involucre  are  pubescent  on  their 
outer  sides,  and  their  pointed  tips  are  quite  spreading. 

HfL-asfruni  CJiapmanii.     {Plalc  L'LXX.) 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF    BLOOM 

Tliistle.  Purple.  Scentless.  Western  1-loriiLt  thfrf-rr. 

Flower-heads  :  large;  sohtary  and  terminal  at  the  ends  of  slender  branche-i. 
Involucre:  with  lanceolate,  stiff  scales,  imbricated  in  many  rows.  Kays:  showv', 
long,  toothed,  or  entire  at  their  summits.  Lemus:  those  about  the  base,  long  ; 
spreading  ;  linear  ;  those  on  the  upper  stem  smaller  ;  sessile  and  bcconunK* bract- 
like;  erect.     Stem  :  two  to  three  feet  erect,  sparingly  branched  above,  smooth. 

In  the  pine-barren  swamps  of  its  restricted  range  where  many  unu.sual 
plants  are  congregated,  this  slender  and  rather  stiff-looking  individual  is 
conspicuous  through  its  beautiful  flower-heads,  spread  widely  apart.  Its 
foliage  is  not  particularly  noticeable. 

ROBIN'S  OR  POOR  ROBIN'S  PLANTAIN. 
SPRING  DAISY. 

Erigeron  pulchcllus. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Tliistle.         Violet  or  purple.  Scentless.  Lottisiann  and  Florida  .{priijunr. 

to  Nova  Scotia. 

Flower-heads :  growing  on  woolly  peduncles  in  terminal  clusters  and  being  com- 
posed of  both  radiate  and  tubular  flowers.  Involucres  :  depressed,  the  bracts 
linear,  often  j^urple-tinted.  Leaves  :  those  about  the  base  tufted,  spatulatc,  or 
obovate  lanceolate,  blunt  at  the  apex  and  tapering  into  margined  petioles.  Stem- 
leaves  :  smaller  ;  lanceolate  or  ovate  ;  sessile  ;  entire  or  dentate  ;  ciliate  and  closely 
covered  with  white  hairs.  Stem  :  six  to  twenty  inches  high,  erect ;  simple,  very 
woolly  with  white  hairs. 

It  seems  strange  to  see  the  robin's  plantain  in  blow  so  early  in  the  sea- 
son as  April  when  the  spring  is  advanced,  for  it  has  much  the  look  of  an 
aster,  a  tribe  of  course  closely  identified  with  the  autumn.  In  a  rosette  on 
the  ground  lie  its  basal  leaves,  and  usually  it  rears  itself  jauntily  on  hillsides, 
or  shady  banks.  It  is  a  plant  that  is  prematurely  grey  or,  as  its  generic 
name  quaintly  signifies,  early  old.  Almost  before  the  wild  flowers  are  well 
under  way  in  a  summer's  sun,  it  displays  its  hoary  pappus. 

E.  vernus,  early  fleabane,  sends  upward  a  tall,  nearly  nakeil  stem,  with 
but  a  few  bract-like  leaves,  and  bears  in  a  corymbed  cluster  many  flower 
heads.     They  look  much  like  little  daisies,  and  often  are  so  called,  for  the 


PLATE  CLXX.     HeJeastnim  Chapmanii. 
(514) 


THE  THISTLE  FAMILV.  3,5 

ray-flowers  are  white  and  those  of  the  disk  yellow.  Its  principal  leaves. 
however,  are  from  the  base,  where  they  lie  in  a  rosette  on  the  ^^round.  IJsu- 
ally  they  must  be  sought,  so  far  away  are  they  from  the  (lowers,  and  when 
found  are  noticed  to  be  obovate,  or  spatulatc,  entire,  or  obscurely  dcnialc. 
Of  this  genus  there  are  numerous  attractive  members,  the  majority  of 
them  looking  like  daisies  and  having  a  tuft  of  leaves  about  their  bases. 

SPICY  FLEABANE,  SALT-MARSH  FLEABANE. 

Pliichca  camphordta . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.         Pifikish  lavender.  Strong.  Florida  to  .Maaachusetts.         AuguttOctober. 

Flcnuer-heads  :  growing  on  pubescent  peduncles  in  open,  corymbose  cymes.  In- 
volucre: campanulate  with  lanceolate,  pink-tinted  bracts.  J^icnotrs :  all  tubular. 
Corolla  :  thrice,  or  five  times,  cleft  at  their  apices.  Lcai'cs  ;  alternate,  short  |M:ti- 
oled ;  oblong,  or  ovate,  pointed  at  both  ends,  irregularly  serrate,  or  dentate, 
smooth  above  and  pubescent  on  the  veins  underneath.  Stem  :  two  to  three  feel 
high;  erect;  simple  or  mostly  branched;  leafy;  pubescent  or  nearly  glabrous. 

In  the  salt  marshes  we  see  the  pale  bloom  of  this  plant,  which  is  credited 
with  emitting  an  odour  much  like  that  of  camphor  and  is  therefore  sought  for 
to  keep  away  moths.  It  is  interesting  to  find  that  the  very  slender  flowers, 
those  which  grow  in  the  outer  sides  of  the  heads  and  are  thrice  cleft  at  their 
apices,  are  the  pistillate  ones,  while  those  central  ones,  which  have  their 
corollas  five-cleft,  are  perfect  and  mostly  sterile.  Other  members  of  the 
not  very  abundant  genus  show  much  the  same  characteristics. 

SMALL=FLOWERED  LEAF=CUP.     {P/a/c  CLXXI.) 
Polymnia  Canadensis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.         Pale  yellow.         Scentless.  North  Carolina  northward.  J  uneSfftfintfr . 

Flower-heads:  growing  in  terminal  and  axillary  corymbose  clusters  and  having 
an  involucre  of  lanceolate,  pointed  bracts.  Riiy-Jhrnh-rs :  minute,  or  none.  Disk- 
floxvcrs :  with  tubular,  five-toothed  corollas.  Achcnes  :  obovoid;  three-ribbed. 
Leaves  :  large  ;  opposite,  occasionally  alternate  towards  the  base,  with  pulKsrcnt 
petioles  ;  ovate,  variously  lobed,  or  lyrately  pinnatifid;  irregularly  dentate  ;  thin; 
dark  green ;  somewhat  hairy.  Stem:  two  to  five  feet  high  ;  often  branched;  viscid- 
pubescent. 

Between  the  three  species  of  Polymnia  which  arc  herein  included  a  most 
constant  difference  lies  in  their  smooth  achenes  ;  those  of  this  particular 
one  showing  but  three  ribs  ;  those  of  Polymnia  llvcdalia.  many  ribs  ;  and 
those  of  Polymnia  laevigata,  always  five  ribs.  lUit  this  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at,  for  so  do  plants  often  differ  in  details  ;  when  their  larger  and  more  appa- 
rent parts  are  similar.     This  genus  is  also  one  among  the  order  Composila; 


PLATE  CLXXl.     SMALL-FLOWERED  LEAF-CUP.     Polymnia  Canadmsis, 

(516) 


THE  TlIIsrLK   KAMILV. 


3«7 


I 


I 


which  produces  no  pappus.     The  scales  of  its  receptacles  are  "  chaffy." 
smaller  leaf-cup  we  find  in  shaded,  moist  places. 

P.  Uvedalia,  yellow,  or  large-flowered    Icaf-cup,  or  yellow  bear's f. 
decidedly  a  more  showy  species  than  the  preceding  one,  as  its  ray-flov.' 
large  and  of  a  lively,    bright  shade  of    yellow.     The  cup-shaped    irr. 
with  ovate-oblong  bracts  shows  also  that  they  are  ciliate  about  their  margins, 
a  feature  again  noticed  about    the  leaves.     Those   of  the    lower   stem  arc 
broadly-ovate  with  a  strong  inclination  towards    being  angular  and  lobcd. 
and  attain  sometimes  enormous  proportions.     The  plant  exhales  a  peculiar, 
resinous  odour,  and  late  in  the  season  the  people  collect  its  heavy  root. 

P.  hnngdta,  the  third  species  of  Polymnia  known  in  North  America,  has 
decidedly  the  prettiest  leaves  of  them  all,  they  being  long-petioled  and  pin- 
nately  lobed,  or  divided  often  to  within  a  quarter  of  an  inch  of  the  midrib. 
or  the  upper  ones  becoming  deltoid-ovate.  They  are  besides  smooth  and. 
when  dried,  as  thin  and  crisp  as  tissue  paper.  The  light-yellow  flower-heads 
with  their  bell-shaped  disk-flowers  are  not  at  all  conspicuous,  and.  as  has 
been  mentioned,  the  achenes  are  five  times  ribbed. 

PRAIRIE  DOCK  OR  BURDOCK.     RESIN  PLANT. 

{^Plate  CLXXII.) 

SilpJiiiDU  tcrcbi)itJii)idLtuni . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.  Orange-yelloiu.         Scetitless.  Loiu'siaiia  ami  Georg;ia  I ul)-Srftftnhrr. 

northward  a  nd  westward. 

Flower-heads  :  growing  in  terminal,  corymbose  clusters  and  having  both  r-idiatc 
and  tubular  flowers  inclosed  within  an  involucre  of  ovate,  imbricated  scales. 
A'^zj'J- ;  twelve  to  twenty,  long-oblong,  slightly  notched  at  the  apex.  Disk-Jiowers: 
very  numerous;  perfect;  sterile.  Achenes:  obovate;  flattened;  two-tootlied.  Ltavts  : 
large  ;  from  the  base  with  long,  grooved  ])etioles;  oval,  or  ovate,  bluntly  pointed 
or  rounded  at  the  apex  and  tapering  into  petioles  at  the  base,  or  being  deeply  cor- 
date, sharply  serrate,  or  remotely  dentate;  coarse  ;  thick  ;  rough.  Slfm-Uares  : 
small;  scale-like.     Stems:  four  to'ten  feet  high  ;    finely  grooved  ;    smooth. 

When  through  stony  ground  and  often  in  dry  woods,  one  sees  a  plant  with 
such  flower-heads  as  are  shown  in  the  illustration  of  this  one.  and  then  tinds 
it  has  very  large  and  coarse  basal  leaves,  there  is  a  rather  good  chance  that 
it  may  be  the  prairie  dock,  although  the  perplexities  arising  among  the  com- 
posites are  indeed  great.  The  whole  genus,  however,  is  possessed  of  a 
resinous  juice,  which,  especially  of  the  species  Silphium  laciniatum,  is  ob- 
tained and  considerably  used  by  country  people. 

S.  laciniatum,  pilot,  polar  or  compass-plant,  resin  or  turpentine  weed,  is 
familiar  from  the  prairies  of  Ohio  southward  to  Alabama  and  Texas.  It  is 
very  peculiar-looking,  coarse,  hispid  and  hairy,  with  alternate  leaves  deeply 
and  pinnately  divided  and  petioles  that  are  very  long.     The  w^..!--  mIoh, 


PLATE  CLXXII.     PRAIRIE  DOCK.     SiJphium  terehinthinaceum. 
(518) 


THE  THISTLE  FAMILY.  5,9 

in  fact,  grows  to  a  great  height,  sometimes  tiiat  of  twelve  feci.     It  is  unusu- 
ally rich  in  resin. 

S.  aster isciis,  starry  rosin-weed,  one  of  the  most  showy  of  the  jr^ntjs. 
bears  heads  of  Howers  that  at  a  glance  suggest  some  one  of  ihc  co:  - 

and  the  bright  yellow  of  which  can  be  seen  in  open  woodlands  from  1 

and    Louisiana   to  Maryland.     The   ovate-lanceolate   leaves  arc  alternate. 

nearly  sessile,  entire  or  dentate,  and  the  plant  is,  morefx--'-  « i-'-  - 

bescent. 

S.pcrfoli'dfinn,  Indian-cup  or  cup-plant,  may  be  known  Ijy  iLsM^u.. 
and  by  its  leaves  that  are  united,  about  the  stem,  at  their  bases.     1 
flowers  are  very  numerous  and  are  toothed  at  their  summits.     Through  our 
range,  from  Louisiana  and  Georgia  northward,  it  occurs  by  streams  in  icunv 
soil. 

CHRYSOGONUM. 

C/i  ?'ysogo?i  u  >n    Vi?  \i^/n  i\  \  n  u  m . 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.         Bright  yelloiv.  Scentless.  Florida  to  rennsylvania.  Iilru.try.lu.y. 

Floivcr-hcads  :  showy,  solitary  and  terminal  at  the  ends  of  erect  scapes,  covered 
closely  as  the  involucre  with  silky,  white  hairs.  luvoliicre :  canipanulatc,  its 
bracts  imbricated  in  two  rows  of  five  each  ;  the  outer  ones  oblong  and  obiusc  ; 
the  inner  ones  inconsi)icuous  and  subtending  the  jMstillatc  ray  flowers.  A'liys  : 
mostly  five-notched  at  their  summits.  Tulnilar  jlcmiers  :  five-toolhcd  at  the  apices. 
Leaves :  from  the  base,  oval,  or  ovate,  mostly  bhmt  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the 
base  into  long  silky  petioles  ;  crenate;  covered  on  both  surfaces  with  lustrous 
white  hairs.     A  perennial  herb   reproducing  itself  by  runners. 

Extremely  pretty  are  these  small  blossoms  as,  star-like,  they  peep  out  from 
among  the  grasses.  When  well  grown,  the  plant  often  loses  its  simple 
habit  and  becomes  considerably  branched.  It  also  reproduces  itself  by 
stolons,  or  runners,  somewhat  after  the  custom  of  some  violets.  It  repre- 
sents a  monotypic  genus. 

GREEN=HEADED  CONE-FLOWER. 

Riidbcckia  Iiu  //i/iifa. 

FAMILY         COLOUR         ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.  Yellow.         Scentless.  Floriila  to  Quebec  and  Wfstuuirii.         Julys. 

Flowe7'-hcads  :  large  ;  showy,  composed  of  botli  ray  and  disk  flowers.  //;. 
with  unequal  bracts.  Kays  :  six  to  ten,  large,  one  to  two  inches  long,  yellow, 
drooping.  Disk  fl^nvers':  greenish  yellow,  forming  a  cone.  /-^«/7r/ ;  alternate, 
the  lower  ones  long  petioled  ;  very  large  ;  pinnately  three  to  seven  divided  into 
broadly  oblong-lanceolate,  or  obovate  segments  which  arc  toothed  and  lol)cd,  the 
terminal  one  being  mostly  three  to  five-parted.  Upper  harfs  :  ovate,  not  divided. 
toothed,  or  entire;  thin;  minutely  pubescent.  Stem:  four  to  twelve  feet  high; 
branching  ;  smooth. 


520 


THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 


The  green-headed  cone-flower  is  closely  related  to  Rudbeckia  hirta,  our 
friendly  black-eyed  Susan,  which  seems  to  be  generally  known  and  the  one 
with  which  we  compare  all  others.  Our  present  species  is  a  rather  smooth 
plant  of  swamps  and  moist  thickets,  where  sometimes  its  lower  leaves  grow 
to  be  quite  a  foot  long,  and  its  large  cone-like  centres  appear  most  effective. 

The  very  hairy  stem  of  black-eyed  Susan  is  the  feature  that  makes  it  so 
objectionable  to  farmers,  as  on  its  account  horses  refuse  to  eat  of  hay 
through  which  it  is  plentiful.  The  daisy  they  regard  as  "  bad  enough,"  for 
it  impoverishes  the  soil ;  but  even  so,  it  is  not  as  seriously  dreaded  as  black- 
eyed  Susan. 

7?.  triloba,  thin-leaved  cone-flower,  shows  no  such  gorgeous  blossoms  as 
those  of  its  preceding  relative.  Its  bloom  is  rather  small  and  is  produced  at 
the  ends  of  slender,  purple  branchlets.  The  disk  flowers  on  the  rounded 
receptacle  are  also  deep  purple.  Lanceolate,  or  ovate-lanceolate,  are  the 
upper  leaves,  while  the  lower  and  basal  ones  are  thrice-parted  and  lobed. 
In  texture  they  are  thin  and  on  both  surfaces  quite  rough.  The  chaff  of 
the  receptacle  is  sharply  awned. 

R.  heliopsidis,  occurring  through  the  pine  and  oak  woods  of  Georgia  and 
Alabama,  is  distinctive  in  its  oval  or  large  ovate  leaves,  the  lower  ones 
having  long  petioles.  Often  they  are  abundantly  covered  with  black  dots 
and  brightly  tinted  with  purple.  The  chaff  is  very  blunt  and  quite  pubescent 
at  the  tip. 


RED  SUNFLOWER,  PURPLE  CONE=FLOWER, 
BLACK  SAMPSON. 

Braiineria  pier  pin' ea. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.         Purplish  crimson.         Scentless.      Loiiisiana  and  Alabama  to        June-October. 

Virginia  and  Kentucky. 

Floioer-heads  :  very  large  ;  showy  ;  terminal  ;  solitary  and  composed  of  both 
ray  and  disk  flowers.  Invohici-e  :  with  lanceolate  bracts,  imbricated  in  from  two 
to  four  series.  Ray  flozvers  :  slender  ;  spreading  or  drooping.  Disk  flower's  :  with 
cylindrical  corollas,  five-toothed  at  their  summits.  Leaves  :  alternate,  or  opposite, 
with  long,  slender  petioles,  ovate,  or  ovate-lanceolate,  pointed  or  long  pointed  at 
the  apex,  and  rounded  or  tapering  at  the  base  ;  serrate  or  dentate  ;  thin ;  rough 
on  both  sides.     Sle7H :  erect,  two  to  five  feet  high  ;  leafy  ;  smooth. 

More  gorgeous  than  any  Rudbeckia  and  infinitely  more  charming  are 
these  great,  heavy  heads  of  crimson  blossoms,  which  we  might  fancy  almost 
could  be  seen  without  unclosing  the  eyes,  when  their  turn  has  come  to  glow 
through  rich  soil  and  lowlands.  Five,  possibly  six,  species  are  recognised  by 
some  botanists  in  this  country ;  and  although  we  associate  them  mostly  with 


THE  THISTLE  FAMILY.  521 

the  western  prairies,  where  they  bloom  amid  fields  of  tjrain  or  gras<;.  two  <,r 
three  others  occur  within  our  range.     Noteworthy  amonj^  these  is 

B. pallida,  drooping  cone-flower,  which  has  rays  longer,  and  more  >„.,.;.( 
and  drooping,  than  those  of  its  relatives.  Its  cone  of  disk  flowers  is  possibly 
higher  and  in  outline,  ovate.     The  leaves  are  lanceolate  and  cniirc. 

SUNFLOWER.     {Plate  CLXXIII) 
J I  el  I  ( intJi  us   long  if  alius. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.         Deep  orange.  Scentless.  Alabama  to  {',eorf;it\.  S<f>tfmbrr. 

Flo7ver-heads :  growing  on  long,  smooth  pedicels  in  corymbose  clusters  and  hav- 
ing both  radiate  and  tubular  flowers  enclosed  witliiii  an  involucre  of  many  im- 
bricated and  acutely  pointed  bracts.  Rays:  about  ten,  relatively  small  ;  long  olv 
long,  with  two  or  more  minute  teeth  at  the  apex.  Jutsal  Itinrs  :  \y\in:(\,  spatulatc, 
or  linear-oblong,  blunt  at  the  apex,  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  margined  petioles. 
Ste7fi  Ifdc'd's  :  mostly  opposite;  linear  lanceolate,  pointed  at  the  apex  with  long 
margined  jjetioles  and  becoming  sessile  and  bract-like  as  they  occur  among  ihc 
flowers;  entire;  glabrous.     Slem :  branching;  slender;  smooth. 

For  a  long  time  but  a  fragmentary  specimen  of  this  rare  sunflower,  which 
was  preserved  in  the  Gray  Herbarium  at  Harvard,  was  known  to  American 
botanists.  Then  strangely  enough  it  was  simultaneously  found  by  three 
collectors  from  Biltmore  Herbarium  at  De  Soto  Fails,  near  X'alley  Head. 
Alabama,  for  one  place,  and  in  the  Sand  Mountain  region  of  that  Slate  for 
the  other.  Since  that  time  it  has  been  well  distributed  to  the  principal  her- 
baria of  the  country.  Through  its  range  its  preference  is  to  grow  near  cliffs 
or  rocky  glades.  In  appearance  it  is  delicate  for  a  sunflower  and  of  an  in- 
tense richness  of  colour. 

While  this  one  is  a  rarity,  there  are,  as  we  know,  many  other  species  of 
wild  sunflowers  turning  their  heads,  as  the  supposition  goes,  to  follow  the 
sun.  The  idea  has  been  transmitted  through  the  Greek  tradition  that  they 
are  the  embodiment  of  the  water-nymph  Clytie,  who,  grieving  intently  that 
Apollo  returned  not  her  love,  sat  on  the  ground  and  turned  her  head  to 
follow  the  sun's  course,  until  finally  she  became  rooted  to  the  spot  and  was 
transformed  into  the  flower.  Small  wonder  that  it  has  since  been  regarded 
as  an  emblem  of  constancy. 

H.  Dowellianus,  sunflower,  for  a  long  time  regarded  as  a  variety  of 
Helianthus  occidentalis,  is  a  graceful  one  of  the  genus,  with  a  deep  red  or 
brown,  pubescent  stem  that  adds  greatly  to  its  beauty.  Its  flower-heads 
grow  in  a  terminal  umbel,  and  their  rays  are  deep  yellow.  Iancet)laic  and 
often  entire.  Along  the  French  Broad  River  in  sandy  bottoms  it  is  not 
uncommon. 

H.  heterophyllus,  both  a  slender  and  an  attractive  species  of  sunflower, 


PLATE  CLXXlll.     SUNFLOWER.     Hdianthiis  longifoUus. 
(522) 


THE  THISTLK  FAMILY.  523 

confines  itself  to  the  low  pine-barrens  in  Louisiana  and  Florida  or  occurs  in 
sandy  soil  along  the  coast  to  North  Carolina.  The  rays  of  its  mostly  soli- 
tary  flower-heads  are  vividly  yellow  and  usually  about  an  inch  and  a  half 
long,  while  its  opposite  stem  leaves  are  linear  and  those  about  ihc  base 
oblong,  or  lanceolate. 

H.  strtimbsus,  pale-leaved  wood  sunHower,  is  through  dry  soil  one  of  the 
common  species  and  is  often  found  on  mountain  slopes.  By  its  small  flowcr- 
heads,— their  involucres  having  bracts  about  as  long  as  the  disks.— and  by  its 
large,  opposite,  ovate-lanceolate  leaves,  it  can  be  told  from  the  others.  lis 
common  name  is  naturally  in  allusion  to  the  leaves'  pale  undcrsurfaccs. 
The  stem  of  deep  reddish  purple  is  glaucous. 

H.  microccphalus,  small  wood  sunllower,  because  of  its  very  small  (lower- 
heads  and  coarse-looking,  thin  leaves,  is  a  rather  unattractive  individual.  C)n 
both  sides  its  ovate-lanceolate  foliage  is  rough.  Mostly  it  grows  in  wood- 
lands, or  moist  soil  along  the  banks  of  streams. 

SMALL  YELLOW  CROWNBEARD. 

Verbeshia   occidcntalis. 

FAMILY       COLOUR      ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF   BLOOM 

Tliistle.       yellow.       Scentless.         Georgia  and  Florida  to  Pennsylvania.       AHt^uttti^tol'ff . 

Flower-heads:  small  ;  numerous ;  growing  in  loose,  terminal  coryml)s.  hn-ol- 
jicre  ;  campanulate,  with  lanceolate  bracts  ;  imbricated  in  two  or  more  rows.  A'avs  : 
one  to  five,  slender.  Achencs :  flattened;  wingless,  with  two  divergent  avins. 
Lecn'es  :  opposite  ;  ovate,  or  ovate-lanceolate,  long  i)ointcd  at  the  apex  and  con- 
tracted into  the  margined  petiole  at  the  base  ;  unevenly  serrate,  minutely  pubc!»- 
cent.     Stem:    three  to  eight  feet  high  ;  branches;  four'winged,  pubescent. 

Almost  everywhere  and  in  all  kinds  of  soil,  by  roadsides,  in  dry  thickets, 
on  hillsides  or  following  along  water-courses,  we  find  this  common  weedy- 
looking  plant.  Although  many  notice  it,  few  are  sulTiciently  inspired  by 
its  appearance  to  inquire  as  to  its  name.  It  belongs,  however,  to  a  large 
genus,  the  achenes  of  which  are  provided  with  awns  and  often  with  wings. 

V.  Virginica,  small  white  crownbeard,  varies  perceptibly  from  the  pre- 
ceding species  in  bearing  flower-heads  which  are  larger  and  which  produce 
white  rays.  Moreover  its  leaves  are  alternate,  the  upper  ones  lanceoiale  and 
sessile. 

V.  alternifblia,  actinomeris,  a  plant  with  larger,  more  showy  and  more 
abundant  flower-heads  than  either  of  its  mentioned  relatives,  has  also  a 
globose  disk  and  but  few  bracts  in  the  involucres.  These  latter  in  fruil  be- 
come reflexed.  The  leaves  are  lanceolate  and  rough  on  their  up|>cr  sur- 
faces. Often  the  plant  grows  tall  and  is  very  showy  through  its  dccp-ycllovv 
ray  flowers. 


524 


THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 


RUNNING  OR  LOBED  TICKSEED. 


FAMILY 

Thistle. 


COLOUR 

Deep  orange. 


Coreopsis  a uruulaia . 

ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Scentless.  Florida  and  Louisiana  to  Alay-August. 

Virginia  and  Kentucky. 

Flozver-heads :  terminal ;  solitary  and  having  both  radiate  and  tubular  flowers 
enclosed  in  an  involucre  of  two  sorts  of  green  bracts.  Rays  :  six  to  ten,  spread- 
ing ;  broad  and  from  three  to  five-toothed  at  the  apex.  £>ts^  flowers  :  numerous 
on°a  rounded  receptacle.  Achenes  :  oval;  winged.  Basal  leaves  :  ovate  ;  blunt  at 
the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  margined  pubescent  petioles,  entire,  or  with 
two  small  lobes  at  the  base;  thin;  the  younger  ones  covered  with  a  soft  white 
tomentum.  Stem  leaves:  linear,  to  spatulate,  with  petioles  or  sessile.  Stems: 
five  to  fifteen  inches  high  ;  erect,  or  decumbent;  simple,  or  branched;  pubescent, 
becoming  smooth. 

Slender  and  graceful  and  beautiful  is  this 
little  one  of  the  coreopses,  which,  through  its 
purely  southern  range,  we  find  in  rich  woods. 
It  has  a  high-bred,  refined  expression,  and 
the  foliage,  especially  of  the  stolons  by  which 
it  spreads  itself,  is  soft  and  exquisitely  col- 
oured. 

When  the  coreopsis  blows  we  know  well 
that  we  are  treading  through  the  season  of 
golden-rayed  flowers.  They  fauly  shower 
gold,  with  the  sunflowers,  golden  asters,  lit- 
tle tickseeds  and  innumerable  others  of  their 
clan. 

At  the  time  we  ascended  Caesar's  Head 
they  were  not   yet  in 
flower,  but   all    the  way         ^   "-''   ^- 
up  to  that  elevated  place 
the  plants  were  to  be  seen  -  •' 
in  great  abundance,  pull-    'r)^< 
ing  themselves  together, 
so  to  speak,  for  their  su- 
preme energy  of  bloom, 
which  must   later  have 
spread  gold  as  in  sheets 
along  the  way,  and  tinted 
the  waves   of   the   land- 
scape   as  seen    from  a 
spot  in  the  shade  of  Lit- 
tle Csesar.     Many  indeed  of  this  genus  do  we  encounter. 


Cesar's  Head. 


THE  THISTLE  FA^^LV.  325 

C.  major,  greater  tickseed.  growing:  to  at  most  about  three  feet  high,  is  a 
graceful  inhabitant  of  open,  sandy  woodlands,  whtre  its  pretty  Jlowcr-hcads 
raise  themselves  on  very  slender  peduncles.  Its  sessile  leaves,  divided  to 
the  base  into  three  lanceolate,  entire  segments,  produce  somewhat  the  same 
effect  as  though  they  were  verticillate. 

C.  verticillata,  whorled  tickseed,  found  mostly  through  open  pine-woods. 
is  known  by  its  peculiarity  of  having  sessile  leaves,  twice  or  thrice  dissected 
into  thread-like,  entire  segments,  and  which  occur  at  intervals  in  masses  on 
the  stem  and  thus  produce  a  fine,  light  effect.  The  numerous  Howcr-hcads 
have  usually  from  six  to  ten  spatulate-oblong  rays. 

C.  gladiata,  on  the  contrary,  is  sparing  in  its  foliage,  the  stems  being 
naked  above  and  its  alternate  leaves  below  quite  distinct  and  slender.  They 
are  spatulate-oblong,  tapering  into  long  petioles,  entire  and  fleshy.  Hut  the 
plant's  beauty  lies  in  its  large,  bright  flower-heads  with  their  decp-purplc 
disks.  Through  Florida  and  North  Carolina,  especially  in  low  pine-barrens, 
it  makes  its  home. 

C  7indata,  tickseed,  a  rare  find  indeed,  occurs  mostly  along  the  coast 
from  Florida  to  Georgia,  where  its  ray  flowers  gleam  through  the  shallow 
ponds  of  pine-barrens  as  early  as  April.  They  show  themselves  in  their  often 
solitary  heads  to  be  rose-purple,  and  their  rays — from  eight  to  nine — are 
broadly  oblanceolate  and  thrice-toothed  at  their  apices.  Of  the  alternate 
and  linear  leaves,  those  about  the  base  are  often  nearly  a  foot  long.  The 
plant  grows  erectly,  is  smooth  and  slender,  with  branches  forked  towards 
their  summits. 

.With  Coreopsis  rosea,  the  pink  tickseed,  which  also  grows  in  open  swamps 
along  the  coast,  it  is  the  only  one  with  other  than  yellow  or  particoloured 
rays. 

C.  tinctbria  {Plate  CLXXIV.),  garden  tickseed,  we  see  sometimes  as 
an  escape,  and  its  similarity  to  some  of  the  wild  species  may  serve  to  recall 
to  the  mind  their  personality. 

LARGE  BUR=MARIGOLD,    BROOK  SUNFLOWER. 

Bidi'HS  /ih'/s.  * 

FAMILY         COLOUR       ODOUR  RANGE  T'ME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.         Golden.       Scentless.       Louisiana  and  Florida  north-vard.        AugustSfxtmbf  \ 

Floiver-heads  :  erect ;  numerous  ;  showy  ;  on  short  i>edunclcs  and  composed  of 
both  tubular  and  radiate  flowers.  Involucre:  with  its  bracts  imbricated  in  two 
series,  the  outer  ones  being  linear-oblong  and  larger  than  the  inner,  thin,  ovate 
and  coloured  row.  Receptacle:  flat.  A'^/r.r.'  usually  entire,  obtuse.  J)isi-  fiiKOfrs  : 
perfect ;  five-toothed.  Aclienes:  flat,  oblong,  with  two  to  four  slender  awns  to  the 
pappus.  Leaves:  simple,  opposite,  sometimes  clasping  at  tlic  base,  lanceolate,  or 
oblong-lanceolate,  serrate.  Stem:  one  to  two  feet  high,  erect,  smooth,  brancheU 
above. 


PLATE  CLXXIV.     GARDEN  TICKSEED.     Coreopsis  iiuctoria. 
(526) 


m:  lucmnrrs  <i| 


THE  TIIISTLK  I-AMILV. 

While  the  bur-marigolds,  or  beggar-ticks,  as  many  .  an  um 
this  large  genus  indiscriminately,  are  closely  related  to  the  Rudbcckias.  they 
suggest  to  us  the  coreopsis  even  more.  Many  of  them  arc  very  p'rciiy. 
but  of  all  unscrupulous  little  bloomers  in  the  world  they  seem  to  be  the 
most  so.  Although  they  Hare  jaunty  golden-heads,  all  llie  while  ihry 
are  preparing  their  flattened  quadrangular  or  nearly  tcrclc  seeds,  with 
barbed  and  sharp  pointed  awns.  These,  later,  attach  themselves  to  anythinjr 
ready  to  carry  them  along  and  disperse  them  at  a  distance  from  the  p.i-  • 
stem.  Fairly  have  they  the  power  to  render  an  autumn  rambU-  al:,,  : 
miserable.  It  is  quite  impossible,  it  would  seem,  to  avoid  ilicm.  Ami 
then  so  in  harmony  with  their  purpose  is  the  instinct  of  humanity,  that  few 
persons  would  be  seen  returning  home  while  covered  wiih  their  |><)ds.  but 
sit  down  by  the  edge  of  the  woods  or  swamps  to  pick  off  the  seeds  and  --i- 
ter  them — usually  in  receptive  soil. 

B.fronddsa,  beggar-ticks,  or  stick-tight,  has  surely  not  much  to  rcconj- 
mend  it  in  the  way  of  beauty,  as  its  flower-heads  are  without  apparent  rays. 
Although  very  common  through  flelds  and  woods,  often  in  fact  a  trouble- 
some weed,  it  is  never  conspicuous,  preferring,  it  would  seem,  to  hide  itself. 
In  the  autumn  it  makes  its  presence  strongly  felt,  however,  by  its  little  flat 
and  obovate  achenes,  each  with  two  slender  awns  covered  with  minute, 
down-pointed  prickles  that  enable  them  to  secure  a  grim  hold  on  almost 
anything.  Its  leaves  are  divided  pinnately  from  three  to  five  times,  and 
always  rather  thin. 

B.  bipinnata,  Spanish  needles,  also  secures  every  year  a  fairly  good  dis- 
tribution by  means  of  its  needle-shaped  achenes,  terminated  at  their  summits 
by  usually  four  short,  spreading  awns  of  the  pappus.  They  are  barbed 
downwardly — as  the  expression  is — and  are,  therefore,  able  fairly  to  lay 
siege  to  anything  passing  their  way.  The  achenes,  curiously,  are  held  by 
them  in  an  upright  position.  The  plant's  foliage  is  thin  and  finely  dis- 
sected, while  the  ray  flowers,  even  when  present,  are  short  and  not  con- 
spicuous. 

MARSHALLIA. 

Marshdllia  gra  »unifoh'a. 


FAMILY 

COLOUR 

ODOUR 

RANGE 

TIME  OF  BLOOM 

This  tic. 

Purplish. 

Scentless. 

Louisiana  and  Florida 
to  North  Carolina. 

Jt,ly,.Amem*t. 

Flmuer-heads:  terminal ;  solitary  and  composed  entirely  of  numerous,  tuhular, 
perfect  flowers,  their  corollas  pubescent,  campanulatc  with  the  limh  deeply  five- 
parted.  Style  branches:  long:  anthers:  blue.  Jtn'ohtcrc:  with  two  rows  of  liiu.u - 
lanceolate,  nearly  equal  bracts.  Leases:  alternate,  spatulatc,  or  line.-ir-Iani-c..I.i:.  . 
the  lower  ones  narrowed  at  the  base  into  margined  i)ctiolcs,  the  upper  ones  .s«.->siU. 
entire,  smooth,  pale  green  and  once  or  thrice-ncrvcd.     Slern:  two  to  three  feet 


528  THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 

high,  erect;  simple,  or  branched,  leafy  ;  smooth  below,  above  pubescent  with  short 
purplish  hairs. 

This  is  indeed  one  of  the  very  lovely  inhabitants  of  low  pine-barrens,  and 
it  is  to  be  regretted  that  even  through  its  known  range  it  is  seen  so  seldom. 
Until  renamed  by  Dr.  Small  it  was  known  as  Marshallia  angustifolia. 

M.  trinervia^  broad-leaved  Marshallia,  another  representative  of  this 
beautiful  genus,  bears  purplish  flowers  in  rounded,  many-flowered  heads. 
Its  leaves  are  thin  in  texture,  oval,  or  oval-lanceolate,  three-nerved  and  with 
the  lower  ones  among  them  tapering  into  long,  sheathing  petioles.  From 
Mississippi  to  Virginia  it  flourishes  in  rather  dry  soil. 

M.  obovata,  the  species  which  early  in  the  spring  begins  to  bloom  through 
dry  pine-woods,  suggests  at  a  distance  large,  rounded  heads  of  white  clover 
that  have  stretched  upward  a  little  above  their  usual  height.  About  its 
base  spatulate  leaves  cluster  thickly;  while  alternate,  lanceolate  ones,  mostly 
blunt  at  the  apex,  clothe  the  lower  part  of  the  stem.  They  are  nerved,  very 
smooth  and  graceful.  Only  from  Alabama  and  Florida  to  North  Carolina 
does  its  range  extend. 

FLAVERIA. 

Flaveria  linearis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.  Yelloiv.  Scentless.  Florida.  September. 

Flcnver-heads:  small ;  growing  densely  in  terminal  corymbs,  and  composed  of 
tubular  flowers,  with  usually  one  that  is  radiate  and  also  fertile.  Involucre :  with 
narrow,  appressed,  nearly  equal  bracts.  Disk  Jloivers:  with  their  corollas  five- 
toothed.  Pappus:  none.  Leaves:  opposite,  linear,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  sessile 
or  connate  at  the  base;  entire;  smoothish,  fleshy.  Stem:  one  to  two  feet  high, 
erect  or  somewhat  prostrate  at  the  base;  branching  at  the  summit ;  nearly  smooth. 

Not  very  frequently  do  we  meet  with  members  of  this  small  genus  ;  but 
when  we  are  so  fortunate  we  are  interested  in  the  peculiarity  of  their  heads 
in  bearing  but  one  ray  flower,  or  we  think,  perhaps,  with  the  majority,  that 
it  is  the  remaining  one,  while  others  have  been  blown  away.  On  the  south- 
ern Keys  and  along  the  coast  of  Florida  the  plant  grows,  but  nowhere  is  it 
very  common.  The  genus  is  possessed  of  a  yellow  pigment  which  has  been 
utilised  in  dyeing. 

POLYPTERIS.     {Flale  CLXXV.) 
Polypteris  integrifblia. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.  White  or  purplish.  Sweet.  Florida  to  Georgia.  July-Septeinher. 

Floiuer-heads :  numerous,  composed  of  tubular  flowers  enclosed  in  an  obconic 
involucre,  with  two  rows  of  bracts,  which  are  membranous  and  slightly  coloured  at 
their  summits.     Flcncers  :  purplish  ;  perfect;  tubular,  with  deeply  five-parted  limb. 


#- 


PLATE  CLXXV.     POLYPTERIS.     Pohptcris  iutcgrifolij. 
(5^9) 


530  THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 

Style  branches :  long;  thread-like;  pubescent.  Achenes  :  iQ\xx-2i\\^t^.  Pappus :  oi 
linear  scales.  Leaves:  alternate,  or  the  lower  ones  opposite;  lanceolate;  entire; 
rather  rough.     Stems  :  one  to  two  feet,  branched  above;  smooth. 

Hardly  among  the  composites  do  we  find  sprays  of  florets  more  softly 
dainty  and  sweet  than  these.  The  first  of  them  that  I  ever  saw  grew  near 
Jacksonville  in  sandy  ground  bordering  marshes  where  many  small  palms 
were  scattered  like  stepping  stones.  A  number  of  small  pink  hibiscus  were 
blossoming  near  by,  but  the  more  constant  companion  of  Polypteris  was 
Carphephorus  corymbosus.  From  the  way  the  plant's  slender  stem  is 
branched  above,  it  was  able  to  spread  its  flowers  widely,  and  so  through  the 
other  denser  clumps  of  pinkish  lavender  the  Polypteris  sprays  pushed  their 
way,  sometimes  closing  snugly  about  their  rivals.  The  natives  there  seemed 
neither  to  know  nor  to  care  about  either  of  these  showy  plants.  All  their 
attention  was  directed  to  the  hound's-tongue,  Trilissa  odoratissima,  which 
also  was  then  abundantly  in  bloom. 

FINE=LEAVED  SNEEZEWEED. 

Helhiitwi  tefi iiifblhim . 

FAMILY        COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.         Yeltozu.  Scentless.       Missouri  and  Florida  to  Virginia.         August-October. 

Flmver-heads  :  numerous ;  growing  on  slender  peduncles  in  terminal  corymbs 
and  composed  of  both  tubular  and  radiate  flowers.  Rays  :  four  to  eight,  fertile, 
broadly  wedge-shaped,  squared,  and  three  to  four-toothed  at  their  apices,  drooping. 
Disk:  globose;  high;  the  flowers  perfect;  with  corollas  four  or  five-toothed, 
greenish  yellow.  Involucre:  with  few  linear  bracts,  soon  becoming  reflexed. 
Leaves:  alternate;  linear-filiform,  sessile,  pale  green.  Stem  :  six  inches  to  two 
feet  high,  much  branched,  slender,  leafy,  mostly  glabrous. 

The  little  sneezeweeds,  or  false  sunflowers,  as  those  of  this  genus  are 
familiarly  called,  are  readily  known  because  they  have  their  disk  flowers 
raised  in  rounded  heads.  In  this  they  are  somewhat  like  the  Rudbeckias, 
but  even  as  though  to  show  off  this  peculiarity  their  ray  flowers  have  a 
drooping  habit.  Among  them  all,  and  in  the  autumn  they  arc  rather  con- 
spicuous, the  fine-leaved  sneezeweed  is  distinctive  in  its  most  abundant  and 
fine,  needle-like  foliage.  The  group  of  plants  is  among  those  known  to  be 
poisonous  to  stock.  Cows,  in  fact,  have  a  fatal  way  of  cultivating  a  taste 
for  them,  much  to  the  regret  of  those  that  drink  the  milk  rendered  very  bitter 
thereby.  In  a  powdered  form  these  plants  are  used  in  medicine  for  the 
purpose  of  producing  sneezing,  a  practice  of  which  their  common  name  is 
an  outcome. 

H.  brevifbliuin,  sneezeweed,  an  unusually  pretty  one  of  these  plants, 
grows  in  an  erect,  usually  unbranched  way  and  bears  mostly  terminal,  sol- 
itary flower-heads,  quite  large  and  showy.     On  the  stem  its  lanceolate  and 


THE  THISTLK  FAMILY.  53, 

sessile  leaves  are  rather  distinct,  while  the  lower  ones,  spatulate-oblong, 
taper  into  margined  petioles.  Quite  as  early  in  the  season  as  April  and  as 
late  as  into  June  it  blows,  mostly  by  the  margins  of  ponds  through  pine- 
barrens. 

H.  aiituimiale,  swamp  sunflower,  yellow  star,  or  sneezewccd,  is  ihc  com- 
mon, abundant  species  which  we  all  recognise  by  its  round,  compact  disk  of 
yellow  flowers  and  its  few,  drooping  and  three-cleft  rays.  On  slender  pe- 
duncles these  heads  are  borne  and  in  a  way  much  branched  as  a  corymb. 
The  leaves  are  oblong,  or  ovate-lanceolate,  and  the  stem  shows,  as  narrow 
wings,  their  decurrent  bases.     This  one  is  dreaded  as  an  obnoxious  weed. 

SWEET  QAILLARDIA. 

Gdillardia  hinccolata. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.         Yellow  and  purple.  Sweet.  Florida  to  Snutli  dir-  .May-Si-pteinitt. 

olina  and  west iviird. 

Flower-heads:  large ;  solitary  ;  terminal  at  the  ends  of  the  branches  and  com- 
posed of  both  tubular  and  radiate  flowers.  Involucre:  with  scales  imbricated  in 
two  or  three  rows.  Rays:  eight  to  twelve,  yellow  with  reddish  veins,  wcdj^c- 
shaped,  deeply  three-lobed.  Diskflo7vers:  perfect;  al)undant ;  i)urple  ;  their  corol- 
las five-toothed.  Leaves  :  alternate  ;  spatulate  or  narrowly  lanceolate,  sessile, 
bluntly  pointed  at  the  apex,  entire,  or  the  lower  ones  occasionally  distantly  serrate, 
minutely  ciliate.  Stems:  one  to  three  feet  high,  with  long  slender  ascending 
branches;  slightly  pubescent. 

In  the  dry  pine-barrens,  where  so  much  that  is  beautiful  in  the  plant  world 
congregates,  is  where  the  sw'eet  gaillardia  loves  best  to  grow.  It  is  the 
most  generally  knowm  species  of  the  south,  but  occurs  perhaps  more  abun- 
dantly in  the«\vest,  where,  like  others  of  the  genus,  it  is  called  blanket-tlower. 
Sometimes  its  flower-heads  grow  on  branches  so  widely  spread  that  they 
peep  out  unexpectedly  through  the  undergrowth,  several  of  them  appearing 
as  though  they  could  hardly  belong  to  the  same  plant. 

LEOPARD'S  BANE. 

Arnica  acaiilis. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.  Yellow.  Scentless.  Florida  to  Pennsylvania.  April,  M.iy. 

Flower-heads  :  showy;  growing  on  long  peduncles  hractcd  at  the  base  in  a  ter- 
minal corymb  and  composed  of  both  tubular  and  radiate  flowers.  Koys  :  oblong; 
minutely  three-toothed.  Involucre :  campanulate,  with  lanceolate,  appresscil 
bracts.  Leaves  :  those  about  the  base  tufted,  spreading,  oval,  entire,  (»r  sparingly 
serrate,  three  to  seven-ribbed,  rough  and  hairy  on  both  sides.  StcHt  /<-</tv/;  op|K>- 
site;  oblong,  sessile.  Stent:  one  to  three  feet  high;  erect;  simple  or  sparingly 
branched ;  glandular-hirsute. 

This,  another  of  the  golden-rayed  flowers,  lives  its  day  in  low  woods  or 


532 


THE  THISTLE  FAMILY. 


pine-barrens,  and  unfolds  early  enough  in  the  season  to  see  many  little  har- 
bingers of  spring  both  bloom  and  perish.  Its  achenes  are  linear,  and  the 
pappus,  a  series  of  barbed,  stiff  bristles,  well  supplies  them  with  a  means  of 
being  carried  along  to  a  good  germinating  ground.  Of  course,  millions  and 
millions  of  seeds  that  have  been  matured  never  do  reach  fertile  spots  wherein 
they  may  grow  ;  but  weighing  well  the  desperate  chances  and  hair-breadth 
escapes  they  run,  Nature  must  necessarily  provide  the  seeds  in  super- 
abundance. 

SWEET=SCENTED  INDIAN  PLANTAIN. 

Synosma  snaveolens. 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.  White  or  pinkish.         Siveet-scented.         Florida  northward.         August-October. 

Floiver-heads  :  growing  in  abundant,  terminal  corymbs  and  composed  entirely 
of  tubular,  perfect  flowers.  Corolla:  five-cleft,  //zz^t'/w^r^  ;  cylindric,  with  numer- 
ous lanceolate  bracts.  Acheiies :  oblong.  Pappus:  bristly.  Leaves:  alternate; 
hastate,  pointed  at  the  apex  and  tapering  at  the  base  into  winged  petioles,  or  the 
upper  ones  ovate  and  serrate;  doubly  and  sharply  serrate.  Stem  :  three  to  five 
feet  high;   grooved;  leafy;    smooth. 

Mesadenia  atriplicifblia,  pale  Indian  plantain,  wild  caraway,  grows 
through  woods  in  inland  places  from  Florida  to  North  Carolina  and  west- 
ward. A  notable  peculiarity  of  the  genus  Mesadenia,  a  group  of  about  twelve 
species  closely  related  to  Synosma,  is  that  while  the  flower-heads  have  a  fiat 
receptacle  there  is  in  the  centres  a  fleshy  little  projection,  somewhat  like  a 
tuber ;  and  it  is  in  reference  to  this  fact  that  the  Greek  name  was  bestowed. 

RAGWORT,     {Plate  CLXXVL) 
Senecio  millefblium, 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.  Orange.  Scentless.         Mountains  0/ North  Carolina,  June. 

Floiver-heads :  growing  on  bracted  peduncles  in  compound,  terminal  corymbs 
and  having  both  radiate  and  tubular  flowers.  Rays:  nine  to  twelve.  Disk 
Jloivers :  \\\\\\^  tubular  corollas,  five-toothed.  Involucre:  campanulate.  Stylt'- 
branches  :  s\)ve?id\\\g.  /^t-//t'//f.f  .•  with  a  pappus  of  white,  fluffy  bristles.  Leaves: 
tufted  about  the  base  and  alternate  on  the  stem;  lanceolate,  and  bipinnately 
divided  into  fine  linear  and  toothed  segments.  Stem  :  one  to  two  feet  high,  woolly 
when  young,  but  smooth  at  maturity. 

We  cannot  ignore  the  ragworts,  for  they  have  a  wide  distribution  over 
the  globe,  and  the  genus  is  one  that  numbers  not  less  than  a  thousand 
species.  In  America  we  must  claim  them  as  native  weeds.  They  spread 
over  the  country  great  masses  of  golden  yellow  and  yet  get  themselves 
greatly  disliked  through  their  reputation  for  causing  hay  fever.  In  almost 
every   soil   they   thrive  and   appear  in   their  various  forms  like  many  other 


PLATE  CLXXVI.     RAGWORT.     Scnccio  milh-folium. 
(533) 


534  THE  THISTLE  FAMILY, 

golden-rayed  flowers  ;  but  always,  in  fruit,  we  may  know  them  by  their  white 
pappus,  appearing  in  some  species  hoary,  as  an  old  man,  senex,  the  mean- 
ing of  the  generic  name. 

Our  present  plant  inhabits  only  the  high  mountains  through  its  range, 
where  on  rocky  cliffs  it  blooms  sometimes  prolifically,  although  but  a  scanty 
soil  has  collected,  the  flower-heads  massing  in  a  brilliant  orange  against 
which  the  foliage  appears  fine  and  fern-like. 

S.  Smdllii,  Small's  squaw-weed,  becomes  quite  tall  in  many  of  its  thick 
clumps,  which  are  seen  through  the  meadows  and  mountainous  thickets 
from  Virginia  to  North  Carolina.  Very  numerous  also  are  its  deep-yellow 
flower-heads,  while  the  basal  leaves  with  long,  slender  petioles  are  linear- 
oblong  and  crenate-dentate.  Covering  the  lower  part  of  these  petioles  and 
about  the  lower  stem  there  is  a  thick,  white,  woolly  substance,  loose  and 
eventually  becoming  unattached.  It  appears  not  unlike  cotton  when  first 
bursting  from  the  seeds.     This  is  the  commonest  species  of  its  range. 

S.  toviejitbsus,  woolly  ragweed,  ashwort,  which  occurs  from  Louisiana 
and  Florida  to  New  Jersey,  is  tall  and  odd-looking,  partly  because  of  the 
persistent,  woolly,  white  covering  of  its  parts— seen  also  in  some  degree 
over  the  whole  plant.  The  young,  basal  leaves  have  often  through  this 
cause  a  texture  somewhat  like  that  of  flannel.  They  are  oblong  and  finely 
crenate-dentate,  while  the  stem  leaves — which,  however,  occur  very  dis- 
tantly— are  linear-lanceolate,  or  spatulate,  and  sessile. 

S.  obovdtus,  round-leaf  squaw-weed,  makes  but  a  small  showing  of  woolly 
covering  about  its  base  and  is  distinctive  in  its  smooth  sub-orbicular  basal 
leaves  which  are  irregularly  crenate  and  taper  into  long  margined  petioles. 

S.  aureus,  golden  ragwort,  swamp  squaw-weed  or  false  valerian,  grows 
at  its  best  in  low,  wet  meadows,  or  swamp-borders,  which  it  fairly  covers 
in  the  spring  with  gold  whose  glow  continues  for  a  long  time.  But  when 
unsuited  with  its  soil  the  bloom  is  of  much  poorer  appearance.  It  is  a 
common  species  from  Florida  and  Texas  to  Newfoundland,  with  orbicular, 
radical  leaves,  cordate  at  their  bases.  Generally  it  is  smooth  through- 
out. About  its  roots  there  is  a  strong,  disagreeable  scent,  somewhat  like 
that  of  valerian. 

VIRGINIA  THISTLE. 

Car  dims  Virginianus, 

FAMILY  COLOUR  ODOUR  RANGE  TIME  OF  BLOOM 

Thistle.  Reddish  Scentless.  Florida   a7id   Texas  to  April-September, 

purple.  I  'irginia  and  Kentucky. 

Floiver-heads  :  one  to  one-and-a-half  inches  broad,  with  many  tubular,  perfect 
and  similar  flowers.  Corollas  :  deeply  five-cleft.  Involucre:  with  slender  scales 
imbricated  in  many  series  and  bristle-tipped.     Leaves  :  alternate,  entirely  lobed  or 


> 


As  the  sun  dropped  behind  Grandfather  Mountain^  ive 
watched  from  Bloiuing  Rock  the  afterglow.  In  the  sky  there 
luas  not  a  cloud  but  what  zaas  tipped  with  vivid  pink,  or  gold, 
and  the  sky  itself  was  of  the  colour  of  fairest  turquois.  Distinct 
and  silvery  the  virgin  moon  zuould  have  held  more  than  one 
huntsnuin  s  horn.  Over  the  great  expanse  of  mountains  hung 
a  purplish  mist  stretching  them  softly  against  the  skv.  Only  in 
the  immediate  foreground  could  be  seen  the  greenness  of 
plant-life. 

From  here  Tabic  Mountain  had  a  different  look  from  that 
when  we  had  seen  it  from  the  summit  of  Roan  ^  and  Grand- 
father sustained  apparently  the  position  of  contact  with  the  sky. 
In  the  dim  distance  and  higher  than  all  others  arose  Mount 
Mitchell.  Soon  it  became  cold.  The  brilliant  colours  faded, 
and  a  great  gust  of  wind  came  jp  through  the  rock  from  the 
depth  below  and  lifted  our  hats  far  out  of  reach.  A  thick 
mist  settled  over  the  scene  as  the  first  evening  star  twinkled 
faintly, 

(CLXXVII.) 


THE  THISTLE  FAMILY.  535 

pinnatifid,  linear-lanceolate,  the  lower  ones  tapering  into  margined  iHrliolcs,  the 
upper  ones  sessile;  all  of  them  surrounded  with  bristles.  (Jn  thcii  upper  hur/accs 
rough  with  numerous  scattered  hairs  ;  pale  below  antl  covered  closely  with  lomcn- 
tum.  Stem  :  two  to  three  feet  high,  simple  or  sparingly  branched,  slender  and 
covered  with  tomentum. 

Among  all  other  plants  there  is  no  mistaking  a  thistle.  It  has  an  air.  an 
individuality  that  speaks  for  itself.  This  is  so  wiili  a  golden-rod,  a  rose 
or  a  violet,  each  proclaiming  at  once  its  antecedents  and  itsconneclions  ;  but 
to  know  definitely  just  the  separate  place  each  one  holds  in  the  family,  one 
must  look  closely  at  the  individual. 

The  Virginia  thistle  blooms  in  thickets  and  dry  barrens  and  has  a  slighlly 
more  ragged,  unsymmetrical  look  about  its  heads  of  tlowcrs  than  many 
another.  It  has  also  a  stem  rather  naked  above— a  fortunate  thing,  should 
one  desire  to  pick  it  to  carry  home  for  study  or  as  an  artistic  model. 

C.altissimus,  roadside  thistle,  is  the  one  familiar  through  fields  and  wood- 
margins,  growing  sometimes  to  a  considerable  height  and  branching  all  the 
way.  Its  flowers,  mostly  solitary  at  the  ends  of  the  branches  and  usually 
nearly  two  inches  broad,  are  very  showy  with  their  masses  of  light  purple 
flowers.  Ovate-lanceolate  are  the  sessile- leaves  and  densely  covered  under- 
neath with  white  tomentum.  Along  their  margins,  moreover,  they  arc 
mostly  dentate  or  lobed  with  teeth  that  are  bristle-tipped. 

C  lanceolatus,  common  burr,  or  spear  thistle,  we  cannot  claim  as  an 
American,  it  being  a  native  of  Europe  and  Asia.  In  this  country,  however. 
it  is  well  naturalised  and  is  often,  unhappily,  a  troublesome  weed.  Its  dark 
purple  and  large  flower-heads  are  very  familiar,  especially  as  late  in  the  au- 
tumn they  linger  in  bloom. 

C,  spitiosissimus,  yellow  thistle,  produces  but  few  flower-heads,  but  ihcy 
are  very  large,  often  three  inches  in  diameter,  and  while  tlie  flowers  arc 
usually  pale  yellow  they  also  occur  in  deep  rich  purple.  Their  involucre  is 
formed  by  the  upper  leaves,  conspicuous  as,  in  fact,  is  the  whole  plant  by 
long  spines.  Many  of  the  pinnatifid  leaves  are  very  large,  their  lobes  being 
tipped  with  stiff  prickles.  Often  by  the  edges  of  salt  marshes  and  in  dry 
soil  the  plant  grows,  from  Texas  and  Florida  to  Maine. 

C.  Leconfei  comts  up  with  a  simple,  or,  occasionally,  branched,  stem  and 
throws  out  large,  solitary,  bell-shaped  heads  of  purple  flowers.  Its  lanceo- 
late leaves,  which  on  the  lower  stem  are  most  abundant,  are  very  spiny  and 
fringed  about  with  bristly  hairs  as  well.  Underneath  they  arc  hoary.  The 
species  is  not  a  common  one  and  occurs  in  the  swamps  of  pine-barrens  from 
Florida  and  Louisiana  to  North  Carolina.  Here  those  that  seek  may  find 
it,  as  indeed  might  be  said  about  all  our  wild  flowers,  trees  and  shrubs 
that  make  the  beautiful  and  verdant  spots  of  the  earth. 


Key  to  the  Families  Described  in  this 
Volume. 


Ovules  naked  (not  enclosed  in  an  ovary) 

Stem  branchless.     Leaves  pinnate         ....  Cycas         i 

Stem  branching.     Leaves  simple 
Buds  scaly,  or  naked 

Fruit  a  cone Pine         2 

Fruit  a  drupe Yew       20 

Ovules  enclosed  in  an  ovary 

Cotyledon  one.     Stem  not  separated  into  bark,  wood  and  pith.     Leaves 
mostly  parallel-veined 

Carpels  one  or  more  and  distinct 

Herbs.     Inflorescence  not  a  true  spadix        .    Water  Plantain       23 
Herbs.     Inflorescence  a  true  spadix      .         .         .  Arum       32 

Palms  Palm       26 

Carpels  united  into  a  compound  ovary 

Seeds  with  mealy  albumen  surrounding  the  embryo 

Epiphytes  with  scurfy  leaves     .         .         .  Pine-apple       37 

Terrestrial  or  aquatic.      Leaves  not  scurfy 

Perianth  of  two  series  of  parts       .         .  Spiderwort       38 

Perianth  corolla-like       ....       Pickerel-weed      41 
Seeds  with  fleshy  or  horny  albumen  surrounding  the  embryo 
Ovary  superior  or  free  from  the  calyx 

Fruit  a  capsule      .         .  Bunch-flower  and  Lily  45  and  50. 

Fruit  a  fleshy  berry.    Lily-of-the-valley  and  Smilax  58  and  62 
Ovary  inferior  or  more  or  less  united  with  the  calyx 


Stamen  one 

Canna       71 

Stamens  three 

Iris       69 

Stamens  four 

Stemona      44 

Stamens  six 

Flowers  perfect  . 

Amaryllis  and  Aletris  in  Lily      66,  50 

Flowers  imperfect 

......       Yarn       69 

KEY  TO  THE  FAMILIES.  53; 


I- A  OK 


Seeds  minute  and  very  numerous,  without  albumen      Orchid       72 
Cotyledons  two.     Stem  separated   into   bark,   wood  and  pith.     Leaves 
mostly  netted-veined. 

Petals  none.     Calyx  either  present  or  wanting 
Flowers  in  aments.     Trees  or  shrubs 
Only  the  sterile  flowers  in  aments 

Leaves  simple lkc(  h     119 

Leaves  pinnate Walnut       99 

Fertile  flowers  in  aments 

Aments  globose    Plane-Tree,    Mulberry  and  Witch-hazel 

143-  227.  232 
Aments  oblong  or  linear 
Calyx  none 

Fruit  one-seeded  Bayberry  and  Corkwood   105,  109 

Fruit  many-seeded  .         .         .  Willow     109 

Calyx  present         Mo?'us  in  Mulberry  and  Birch     i  15,  143 
Flowers  not  in  aments.     Tree,  shrubs  and  herbs 
Calyx  none 

Marsh  herbs Lizard 's-tail      97 

Tree       ....  Sweet  gum  in  Witch-hazel  230 

Plants  of  drier  grounds  ....         Spurge     299 

Calyx  present,  sometimes  corolla-like 
Ovaries  more  than  one 

Leaves  stipulate  .         ,        .        Neviusia  in  Rose     241 

Stipules  none      .         .         .     Ranunculus  in  Crowfoot     183 
Ovary  one  and  superior  or  free  from  the  calyx.     Seed  solitary 
Trees  and  shrubs 
.    Leaves  stipulate      .         .         Elm  and   Mulberry   139.   143 

Stipules  none Laurel     191 

Herbs  and  vines 

Fruit  an  achene      ....  Buckwheat     152 

Fruit  a  capsule Pink     158 

Ovary   one    and    superior   or    free    from    the   calyx.      Seeds 
numerous 

Leaves  whorled Crowbcrry     304 

Leaves  alternate I^'^x     304 

Leaves  opposite 

Fruit  a  single  samara  ....      Olive     419 

Fruit  a  double  samara  ....    Maple     32a 

Fruit  a  drupe  .         .      Olive  and  Buckthorn     4»9- 3-^ 


538  KEY  TO  THE  FAMILIES. 


Ovary  one  and  inferior  or  united  with  the  calyx 

Ovary  one  celled  Nyssa   in  Dogwood,  Mistletoe 

and  Sandalwood  372,  144,  145 
Ovary  2  or  more  celled         Fothergilla  in  Witch-hazel 

and  Birthwort  230,  149 
Petals  present  and  not  united 
Stamens  not  borne  on  the  calyx 

Stamens  more  than  twice  as  many  as  the  petals 

Leaves  opposite St.  John's- wort     339 

Leaves  alternate 
Ovaries  more  than  one,  each  one  celled 

Trees  and  shrubs     Magnolia  and  Custard  Apple  164,  169 
Herbs  .        .        Crowfoot  and  Water  Lily  171,  162 

Ovary  solitary,  i  celled 

Insectivorous  plants  .         .         .  Sundew     208 

Plants  not  insectivorous 
Sepals  deciduous 

Leaves  simple  Purslane  and  Poppy    157,  194 

Leaves  compound        Caper  and  Crowfoot    205,  171 
Ovary  solitary,  2  or  more  celled 
Stamens  connected  with  the  base  of  the  petals 
Stamens  united  around  the  pistil  into  a  column 

Mallow    335 


Stamens  united  in  a  ring          ....     Tea 

337 

Stamens  free  from  the  petals 

Stamens  united  in  clusters       .         .         .         Linden 

332 

Stamens  separate     Water  Lily  and  Pitcher-plant  162, 

205 

Ovaries  more  than  one Orpine 

211 

Ovary  solitary,  i  celled 

Leaves  alternate            .         .        Mimosa  and  Pea     257, 

264 

Leaves  opposite 

Fruit  a  capsule              Pink  and  St.  John's-wort     158, 

339 

Fruit  a  berry Barberry 

187 

Ovary  solitary,  2  celled      ....           Milkwort 

294 

Ovary  solitary,  3  or  more  celled 

Flowers  imperfect           ....              Spurge 

299 

Flowers  perfect 

Style  single 

Low,  fleshy  plants  with  bract— or  scale-like  leaves 

Indian-pipe 

375 

KEY  TO  THE  FAMILIES.  53^ 


PAGE 


Leaves  alternate  and  pinnate    .         .       Mahojjany     293 

Leaves  opposite  and  pinnate  .  Caltrop     289 

Leaves  simple     .         White  Alder  and  Heath     374376 

Styles  four  ....  Orpine  '211 

Styles  five  Geranium  and  Wood-sorrel     284.  285 

Stamens  more  numerous  than  the  petals,  but  not  twice  as  many 

Ovary  i  celled I,„ppy     „^^ 

Ovary  2  celled      .         .         .  Milkwort  and  Mustard     294,  198 
Ovary  3-4celled 

Leaves  opposite         St.  John's-vvort  and  Huckeye     339,  324 
Leaves  alternate         .         .    Buckwheat  Tree  in  Cyrilla     312 
Fertile  stamens  as  many  as  the  petals 
Ovaries  more  than  one 

Flowers  imperfect Kue  290 

Flowers  perfect  .         Milkweed  and  Crowfoot     294.171 

Ovary  solitary,  i-celled 

Flowers  irregular  .         .        .  Pea  and  Violet     264.  346 

Flowers  regular 

Flowers  imperfect .Spurge     299 

Flowers  perfect 

Stamens  opposite  the  petals 
Anthers  opening  by  terminal  pores        Berberry     187 
Anthers  opening  lengthwise     Purslane  and  Leadwort 

157,  269 
Stamens  alternate  with  the  petals 
Leaves  opposite  ...  St.  John's-wort     339 

Leaves  alternate        Sundew  and  Saxifrage     208.  214 
Ovary  solitary,  2-celled 

Fruit  a  2-winged  samara    ....        ^L^pIe     320 

Fruit  a  single  samara Rue     290 

Fruit  a  berry Grape     330 

Fruit  dry,  flowers  perfect  and  racemed       .  Cyrilla     310 

Fruit  a  drupe,  flowers  imperfect  and  clustered  Crowberry  304 

Ovary  solitary,  3-celled  .         .         .     Galax  in  Uiapensia    402 

Ovary  5-or  more  celled    .        .  Jewel  Weed  and  Flax     326,288 

Stamens  fewer  than  the  petals 

Petals  4 Mustard     iv^ 

Petals  5 Bink     158 

Petals  and  sepals  hardly  distinct,  llowers  very  irregular 

sec  Jewel  Weed 


540  KEY  TO  THE  FAMILIES. 


Stamens  borne  on  the  calyx 

Ovary  superior,  or  free  from  the  calyx 
Stamens  as  many  as  the  petals 


Stamens  monadelphous  .         .         .         Passion  Flower 

352 

Stamens  separate,  opposite  the  petals 

Tendrils  present Grape 

330 

Tendrils  none Buckthorn 

328 

Stamens  separate,  alternate  with  the  petals 

Herbs Loosestrife 

354 

Woody  plants 

Fruit  a  double  samara       ....    Maple 

320 

Fruit  a  drupe  or  berry       .  Holly  and  Sumac     312 

306 

Fruit  with  highly  colored  arils  or  coverings     .  Stafftree 

Fruit  a  bladdery  capsule    .         .         .     Bladdernut 

31/ 
319 

Fruit  a  capsule,  leaves  simple    .         .        Saxifrage 

214 

Stamens  more  numerous  than  the  petals 

Ovaries  more  than  one 

Leaves  alternate 

Stipules  present Rose 

233 

Stipules  wanting Orpine 

211 

Leaves  opposite Strawberry-shrub     190 

Ovary  solitary,  i -celled 

Fruit  a  drupe Plum     251 

Fruit  a  legume    .         .         .         Senna  and  Pea      258,  264 
Ovary  solitary,  2-or  more  celled 

Style  single         .....       Loosestrife     354 
Styles  2       .         .         .  Saxifrage  and  Maple     214,320 

Styles  2-3,  each  2-3  parted.         .         .         .      Spurge     299 
Ovary  inferior  or  united  more  ot  less  with  the  calyx 
Ovules  more  than  one  in  each  cavity  of  the  ovary 
Calyx  tube  merely  enclosing  the  ovary 
Anthers  opening  longitudinally  .         .         Loosestrife     354 
Anthers  opening  by  pores  at  the  apex.  Meadow  Beauty     356 
Calyx  tube  adnate  to  the  ovary.     Storax,  Evening  Primrose 

415,407 
Saxifrage  and  Gooseberry     214,  225 
Ovules  one  in  each  cavity  of  the  ovary 

Stamens  5      .         .         .         .    Ginseng  and  Parsley  364,  362 
Stamens  8 Witch  Hazel     227 


KEY  TO  TIIK   FAMILIKS.  34, 


rACK 


Stamens  4 Dogwood     372 

Stamens  usually  more  than  5        .         .         .         Apple     245 
Petals  present  and  more  or  less  united 

Ovary  superior,  or  free  from  the  calyx,  (lowers  rcj^ular 

Stamens  free  from  the  corolla,  or  mercley  adnaic  to  the  base 
Corolla  nearly  of  separate  petals      .         .      White  Alder     374 
Petals  distinctly  united 

Herbs  without  green  leaves  .         .         Indian- 1 'ipc     375 

Plants  with  normal,  sometimes  evergreen  leaves.  Hcalh     376 

Stamens  borne  at  the  sinuses  of  the  corolla         Pyxidanthcnt  in 

Diapcnsia    406 
Fertile  stamens  on  the  tube  or  throat  of  the  corolla,  as  many  as 
its  lobes  and  opposite  them 
Herbs 

Style  I     Fruit  a  capsule  .         .         .    Primrose     407 

Styles  5     Fruit  an  urticle    ....  Plumbago    411 

Shrubs  or  trees Sapodilla    412 

Fertile  stamens  on  the  tube  or  throat  of  the  corolla,  as  many  as 
its  lobes  and  alternate  with  them 

Ovaries  2,  separate  .  Dogbane  and  Milkweed  431,  435 
Ovary  solitary,  forming  in  fruit  a  i  seeded  drupe  Olive  419 
Ovary  deeply  4-lobed  around  the  style  .  .  Horage  444 
Ovary  2-4,  celled,  the  carpels  separating  into  i  seeded  nutlets 

\'ervain  446 
Ovary  i -celled  Waterleaf,  Gentian  &  Ikickbcan  443.  425.  430 
Ovary  2-5  celled 

Stipules  present Logania     423 

Stipules  none 

Capsule  few-seeded.     Chiefly  vines.  Dodder  and  Morning 

Glory 440.438 

Capsule  relatively  few  seeded,  Herbs  Phlox     441 

Capsule  many-seeded     Short ia  in  Diapensia.  Nightshade 
and  Figwort       .         .  •         •  45^.  402.  460 

Fertile  stamens  fewer  than  the  lobes  of  the  corolla 

Fruit  a  i-seeded  fleshy  drupe  ....    Olive     419 

Fruit  separating  into  2-4  nutlets  at  maturity 

Ovary  4-lobed  around  the  style   ....     Mint     44^ 

Ovary  not  lobed  .         .         .  •         \'crvain     44^) 

Fruit  a  2-celled  capsule  Figwort  and  Acanthus     460.  472 

Stamens  more  numerous  than  the  lobes  of  liic  corolla 


542 


KEY  TO  THE  FAMILIES. 


Leaves  simple Ebony    414 

Leaves  compound  ......        Mimosa     257 

Ovary  superior,  or  free  from  the  calyx    Flowers  irregular. 
Ovary  i-celled 

Stamens  2 Bladdervvort    468 

Stamens  4 Broom-Rape    470 

Ovary  2-celled.  Figwort,  Trumpet  Creeper  and  Acanthus 

460,471,472 
Ovary  4-celled  ....         Mint  and  Vervain     448,  446 
Ovary  inferior  or  more  or  less  united  with  the  calyx 
Anthers  not  united 

Leaves  opposite  or  whorled.  Madder  and  Honeysuckle  473,  478 
Leaves  alternate 

Herbs  ....     Primrose  and  Bellflower     407,  481 
Shrubs  or  trees    .        .     Storax,  Huckleberry  and  Sweetleaf 

415,  396,415 
Anthers  united 

Flowers  all  with  rays Chicory    486 

Not  all  the  flowers  with  rays,  or  the  latter  wanting  altogether 

Thistle     494 


Index  to  English  Names. 


Acacia,  False,  274. 

"         Rose,  275. 
Actinomeris,  523. 
Adam-and-Eve,  94. 
Adam's  Needle,  58. 
Adder's  Mouth,  Green,  90. 

"  Tongue,  Yellow,  52. 
Agrimony,  Tall,  Hairy,  243. 
Ague  Tree,  193. 

"     Weed,  428. 
Air  Plant,  yj. 
Alder,  Black,  314. 

"      Green  or  Mountain,  117. 

"      Smooth,  117. 

"      White,  374. 
Alleghany  Vine,  194. 
Alligator  Tree,  230. 
Allspice,  Carolina,  190. 

Wild,  191. 
Aloe,  False,  66. 
Alum-root,  218. 
Amsonia,  431. 
Anemone,  Carolina,  177. 
''         Mountain,  177. 
''         Tall,  179. 
"         Wood,  177. 
Angelica,  Curtis',  366. 
Tree,  362. 
"  Pubescent,  366. 

Anise  Tree,  168. 
Apple,  May,  189, 

"      of  Sodom,  458. 
Arbor  Vitae,  16. 
Arbutus,  Trailing,  395. 
Amy-root,  433. 
Arrow-Arum,  Green,  34. 
White,  32. 

*'     -Head,  Broad-Leaved,  25. 

"  "      Long  Beaked,  25. 


Arrow-Grass,  25. 

"      Wood,  Maple  l^eaved,  479. 
Arum,  Water,  34. 
Asarabacca,  149. 
Asarum,  Halberd-I^avcd,  150. 
"         Large  Flowered,  149. 
Virginia,  149. 
Ash,  308. 

"     American  Mountain,  245. 

"     Biltmore,  421. 

*'     Green,  419. 

"     Water,  422. 

"     White,  421. 
Ashwort,  534. 

Aspen,  Large  Toothed,  114. 
Asphodel,  Scottish,  45. 
Aster,  Bushy,  512. 

"       Golden,  504. 

**       Grass  Leaved  Golden,  505. 

"       Frostwecd,  512. 

"       Large  Flowered,  511. 

*'       Late  Purple,  512. 

"       Lilac  Flowered,  512. 

"       Maryland,  504. 

"        Purple  Daisy,  512. 

"       Rice  Button,  512. 

"       Silky,  512. 

"       Silver  Grass,  505. 

♦*       White  Heath,  512. 
Asthma-Weed,  4S6. 
Azalea,  Flame,  2,7^- 

♦*        Pinkster  Flower,  37S. 

"        Smooth  or  Tree,  37S. 

'<        White,  37S. 

Backache-Root,  501. 
Balm-of-Gilead,  114. 
Balsam  Fir,  Frascr's,  11. 
'•      Hc,S. 


544 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH  NAMES. 


Balsam,  She,  ii. 
Bamboo,  Brier,  64. 

"       Common,  62. 
Barberry,  American,  188. 
Basil,  Wild,  456. 
Basswood,  Southern,  333. 

White,  233- 
Bay,  Loblolly,  338. 
"    Tan,  338. 
"    Mountain  Rose,  379. 
Beard-Tongue,  Hairy,  462. 

"  ''         Smooth,  462. 

Bee  Balm,  American,  455. 
Beech,  American,  119. 

"      Blue  or  Water,  115. 
"     -Drops,  Carolina,  376. 
"  **         False,  376. 

Bee  Tree,  333. 
Beetle-Weed,  402. 
Beggar-Ticks,  527. 
Bellflower,  Clasping,  483. 

"         Tall,  Wild,  483. 
Bellwort,  Large  Flowered,  48. 
"         Mountain,  49. 
**         Perfoliate,  49. 
"         Sessile  Leaved,  49. 
Benjamin-Bush,  191. 
Bergamot,  W^ild,  453. 
Betony,  Wood,  467. 
Bilsted,  230. 

Bind-Weed,  Trailing,  439, 
"      Upright,  439. 
Birch,  Cherry,  119. 
Grey,  1 18. 
"       Red,  117. 
"       River,  117. 
"       Sweet,  119. 
"       Yellow,  118. 
Birthroot,  62. 

Bishop's  Cap,  Two  Leaved,  217. 
Bitter  Cress,  Pennsylvania,  200. 

"         "      Mountain,  199. 
Bitternut,  103. 
Bitter-Sweet,  Climbing,  319. 


Blackberry,  Bush,  237. 

High  Bush,  237. 
Knee- High,  238. 
Sand,  238. 
Low  Bush,  238. 
Low  Running,  238. 
Running  Swamp,  238. 
Black  Cap,  236. 

'*      -Haw,  Southern,  479. 
"      Jack,  127. 
Bladder-Nut.  American,  319. 

"      Pod,  203. 
Bladderwort,  Horned,  468. 
Purple,  468. 
"  Swollen,  469. 

Zigzag  or  Tiny,  468. 
Blazing-Star,  Blue,  501. 

"       "      Handsome,  500. 
"        *'      Scaly,  501. 
Bleeding  Heart,  Wild,  194. 
Blood-Root,  197. 
Blue-Curls,  449. 
Blue  Jack,  130. 
Blue  Sailors,  487. 
Blue  Mountain  Tea,  509. 
Bluets,  Thyme-Leaved,  473. 
Boneset,  498. 
Bouncing  Bet,  158. 
Bowman's-Root,  236. 
Brittle  Thatch,  31. 
Broom-Rape,  Clover,  470. 
"  "      Hemp,  470. 

Brunnichia,  154. 
Buckeye,  Big,  325, 

"         Horse  Chestnut,  326. 
"        Red,  325. 
"         Sweet,  325. 
"         Yellow,  325. 
Buckberry,  396. 
Buckleya,  146. 
Buckthorn,  Carolina,  328. 

"       Woolly,  412. 
Buckwheat,  Hedge  or  Copse,  155. 
"         Tree,  312. 


INDEX  TO   KXGLlSli    NA.MhS. 


545 


Buffalo-Nut,  148. 
Bugbane,  American,  173. 

"         False,  183. 
Bull  Bay,  165. 
Bunch-Blower,  Crisped,  48. 
Burdock,  517. 
Burning  Bush,  317. 
Bush-Clover,  280. 

"  "     Round  Headed,  281 

"  "     Trailing,  280. 

"  "     Wandlike,  280. 

*'     Button  or  River,  475. 
Buttercup,  Bristly,  186. 
"         Hisped,  185. 
Butterfly  Pea,  282. 
Butternut,  100. 
Buttervvort,  469. 
Button-Ball  Tree,  232. 
Button-Wood,  232. 

Cabbage  Tree,  26. 
Calamint,  456. 

"  Carolina,  456. 

Calico-Bush,  476. 
Calopogon,  90. 
Caltrop,  Greater,  290. 
Cancer-Root,  470. 
Candle-Tree,  472. 

"       -Berry,  105. 
Canby's  Mountain  Lover,  317. 
Caper  Tree,  Jamaica,  205. 
Caraway,  Wild,  532. 
Cardinal  Flower,  Blue,  484. 
Cassandra,  Dwarf,  394- 
Cassena,  315. 
Cat  Brier,  63. 
Catchfly,  Round  Leaved,  160. 

"  Virginia,  159. 

Catgut,  273. 

Cedar,  Florida  Pencil,  17. 
"      Red,  18. 

Southern  White,  16. 
"        Stinking,  20. 
White,  16. 


Checkcrbcrry,  476. 
Cherry,  Bird,  253. 
''        Choke,  253. 
"       Indian,  32S. 
*'        Pigeon,  253. 

Wild  Black,  253. 
"     Red,  253. 
Chestnut,  American,  121. 
Chicory,  Wild,  4S7. 
China-Berry,  293. 
Chinkapin,  Water,  162. 
Chinquapins,  121. 
Choke-Hcrry,  248. 

"         "        Red,  248. 
Chrysogonum,  519. 
Cinquefoil,  240. 

"  Three  Toothed.  239. 

Clematis,  Addison  Hrowu's,  1S2. 
Krecl,  182. 
"         Marsh,  180. 
"         Mountain,  1S2. 
Silky.  182. 
Climbing  Fumitory.  194. 
Clintonia,  While,  58. 

"  Yellow,  59. 

Cocoa-Nut,  26. 
Coffee-Tree,  Kentucky,  263. 
Cohosh,  Black,  173. 
Blue,  1S8. 
Colic-Root,  501. 

"         "     Yellow,  54. 
Columbine,  Wild,  174. 
Colt's- P^oot,  Little,  403. 
Compass  Plant,  517. 
Cone-Flower,  C.reen  Headed.  519. 
"  "      Thin  Horned,  520. 

"  "       Purple,  5:. 

"  Coontie,"  i. 
Coolwort,  217. 
Coral-Root,  Crested,  94. 
♦'       "      Karly.  94- 
"       "      1-irgc,  9.|. 
♦<       "      Small  Flowcfed,  94. 
Cork-Wooil.  ICH). 


546 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH  NAMES. 


Corn-Cockle,  158. 

"    Rose,  158. 
Cornel,  Kinnikinnik,  373. 
"         Silky,  2>72>- 
"        Stiff,  373. 
"         Rough  Leaved,  373. 
Corpse  Plant,  375. 
Corydalis,  Pale,  197. 
"  Pink,  196. 

"  Small  Flowered,  196. 

Cotton-Wood,  III. 

"  "      River  or  Swamp,  113. 

Cowbane,  Spotted,  370. 
Cowslips,  American,  411. 

"  Virginia,  445. 

Crab-Apple,  Narrow  Leaved,  246. 

"  "      Sweet  Scented,  246. 

Cranberry,  Southern  Mountain,  401. 
Crane's  Bill,  Carolina,  285. 
"  "     Spotted,  285. 

Cress,  Bulbous,  199. 
Crinum,  American,  67. 
Crinkle-Root,  200. 
Croomia,  44. 
Croton,  Alabama,  299. 
*'       Glandular,  299. 
Cross- Vine,  471. 
Crownbeard,  Small  Yellow,  523. 

White,  523. 
Crowfoot,  Celery  Leaved,  184. 
"         Hooked,  185. 
"         Kidney  Leaved,  185. 
Mountain,  184. 
Rock,  185. 
Cucumber  Tree,  164. 
Currant,  Fetid,  227. 
Custard  Apple,  169. 
Cyclamen,  Giant,  411. 
Cypcess-Vine,  439. 
"      Bald,  12. 

Daisy,  Spring,  513. 

"       Western,  510. 
Dandelion,  Carolina,  488. 


Dandelion,  Dwarf,  487. 

"  Leafy-stemmed  False,  490. 

Date  Palm,  26. 
"      Pum,  414. 
Day  Flower,  Bearded,  40. 
"  *'        Slender,  40. 

*'  "        Virginia,  38, 

Decunaria,  222. 
Devil's  Bit,  46. 
Devil's  Wood,  423. 
Dewberry,  Common,  238. 
"  Southern,  238. 

Dew-Plant,  210. 
Disporum,  Hair}'^,  59. 

"  Spotted,  59. 

Dock,  Prairie,  517. 
Dockmakie,  479. 
Dodder,  Beaked,  441. 
"      "Compact,  440. 
"      Field,  441. 
Dogbane,  Honey  Bloom,  433. 

Spreading,  433. 
Dogberry,  227. 

"      '  Tree,  248. 
Dogwood,  308. 

"  Alternate  Leaved,  372. 

"  Flowering,  3J3. 

Dog  Hobble,  389. 
Door- Weed,  155. 
Dragon  Head,  False,  452. 
"         Green,  34. 
"         Root,  34. 
Duckweed,  Tropical,  36. 
Dutchman's  Breeches,  196. 

Pipe,  150. 
Dyer's- Weed,  510. 

Elder,  308. 

"      Box,  324. 
"      Wild,  363. 
Elk- Wood,  165. 
Elm,  American,  141. 
"     False,  142. 
"     Red,  142. 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH    NAMES. 


547 


Elm,  Slippery,  142. 
"     White,  142. 
<'     Winged,  139. 

Feather,  Water,  409. 
Featherfoil,  American,  409. 
Fennel,  Dog,  498. 
Fetter  Bush,  Mountain,  393. 

"      Low  Spreading,  393. 
«     Stagger,  393. 
Fever  Bush,  191. 
Filbert,  116. 
Fine  Finger,  240. 
Fir,  Silver,  11. 
Flag,  Larger  Blue,  70. 
Flaveria,  528. 
Flax,  Florida  Yellow,  2S8. 
"      Slender,  2S9. 
"      Wild,  289. 
Fleabane,  Salt-Marsh,  515. 

Spicy,  515. 
Floating  Heart,  431. 
Foam  Flower,  217. 
Forget-Me-Not,  446. 
Fothergilla,  230. 
Foxglove,  Downy  False,  464. 

"  Entire  Leaved  False,  464. 

"  Fern  Leaved,  463. 

"  Lousewort  False,  463. 

"  Smooth,  464. 

Friar's  Cap,  176. 
Fringe  Tree,  Common,  422. 
Frost- Weed,  Pine-Barren,  345. 

Gag-Root,  486. 
Gaillardia,  Sweet,  531. 
Galaxy,  402. 
Gall-of-the-Earth,  493. 
Gallberry,  314. 
Gall-Flower,  428. 
Gander  Teeth,  257. 
Gay-Feather,  501. 

'•      Wings,  297. 
Gentian,  Elliott's,  42S. 
"        Fringed,  428, 


Gentian,  One  Flowered,  430 

"        Soapwort,  430. 
Stiff,  428. 

"        Striped,  430. 
Georgia  Hark,  476. 
Geranium,  Wil!.  -^'  - 
GerarcUa,  464. 

Large-  l-uipi.,  405. 

'*        Skinner's,  465. 

"        Slender,  465. 
Gcrmader,  American,  449. 
Ghost  Flower,  375. 
Gilia,  Raven  Footed,  .\.\2. 
Ginger,  Wild,  149. 
Ginseng,  Dwarf,  364. 

"        Five  Leaved,  364. 

**        Ground  Nm,   :(.  1 
Globe  Flower,  475. 
(Joat's  lieard,  235. 

'•  *'        False,  216. 


"  "       Cynthia,  4^^ 

"  *'       Rue,  273. 

"  *'        Loosely  Fli»vvcic<i,  273. 

*'  "        Virginia,  4SS. 

Golden-Club,  32. 
Seal,  172. 
''      -Rod,  507. 

"  "      Blue  Stemmed,  $09. 

"  "       Canada,  510. 

"  '*       Downy,  50<> 

"  "      Grey,  510. 

"  "       Mountain,  507. 

«'  •'      Rayless,  505. 

"  "      Silver,   500. 

"  "       Sweet  Sec  I 

"  ••      W'oodlantl,  >    - 

Gooseberry,  Drooping.  225. 

'.'  Eastern  Wi!  !.     '" 

Wild,  227. 
Grape,  330. 
Grass,  Blue-Eyed.  Eastern,  71. 

««  "         "      Slotii.  7<». 

Grass  .»f-l*arna>sus.  Catolma.  2-'<-«. 


Kidney  Ixa\ 


548 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH  NAMES. 


Greenbrier,  Bristly,  64. 
"  Hispid,  6^. 

"  Laurel-Leaved,  6;^. 

Ground  Nut,  284. 
Gum,  Black,  373. 
"      Cotton,  374. 
"      !50ur,  ;^y2. 
"      Star-Leaved,  230. 
"      Sweet,  230. 

Hackberry,  142. 

"  Southern,  141. 

Hardback,  234. 
Haw,  May,  250. 

"      Miss  Vail's,  251. 
"       Parsley,  250, 
Hawkweed,  Hairy,  493. 

"  Maryland,  491. 

"  Panicled,  491. 

"  Rough,  491. 

Hazle-Nut,  116. 
Heather,  False,  382. 

"         Mountain,  382. 
Heliotrope,  European,  445. 
"  Indian,  445. 

"  Seaside,  445. 

Hell-Root,  470. 
Hemlock,  Carolina,  10. 
"  Common,  10. 

"  Water,  370. 

Hemp,  Indian,  433. 

"        Weed,  Climbing,  498. 
Herb-Bane,  470. 
Hercules  Club,  362. 
Heuchera,  Hairy,  218. 

"  Rugel's,  21S. 

Hibiscus,  Scarlet,  336. 
Hickory,  Broom,  103. 
"         Fragrant,  102. 
"         Nutmeg,  100. 
"         Shag-Bark,  102. 

"     Big,  102. 
"  "         "     Southern,  102. 

Shell-Bark,  102. 
"         Swamp,  102. 


Hickory    Water,  103. 
White,  102. 
"         White  Heart,  102. 
Hoary  Pea,  273. 
Hobble  Bush,  478. 
Hogweed,  498. 
Holly,  American,  314. 
"      Dahoon,  315. 
"      Meadow,  315. 
"      Large  Leaved,  312. 
"       Swamp,  315. 
Honey  Balls,  475. 

"        Shucks,  263. 
Honeysuckle,  481. 

*'  Bush,  481. 

"  Japanese  or  Chinese,  4S0. 

"  vSwamp,  378. 

"  Trumpet  or  Coral,  480. 

"  Wild,  378. 

"  Yellow,  376. 

Hornbeam,  Hop,  115. 

"  American,  115. 

Horsefly-Weed,  266. 
Horse-Nettle,  458. 
"     -Mint,  455. 
'•     -Sugar,  415. 
Huckleberry,  Bear,  396. 

"  Blue  Tangle,  398. 

Bush,  398. 
"  Dangleberry,  39S. 

"  Deer  or  Squaw,  400. 

"  F'arkleberry,  400. 

"  Hairy,  398. 

"  Pale  or  Mountain,  400. 

Hudsonia,  345. 
Houstonia,  Large,  475. 

"■         Narrow  Leaved,  475. 
Hydrangea,  Downy  or  Showy,  221. 

Wild,  221. 
Hyssop,  Prairie,  457. 

Indian  Bean,  472. 
*'      Cup-Plant,  519. 
*'      Lotus,  162. 
*'      Paint,  Red,  197. 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH  NAMES. 


549 


Indian  Paint,  Yellow,  172. 
"     Paint  Brush,  465. 
"     Physic,  236. 
"     Pink,  425. 
"     Pipe,  375- 
"      Shot,  71. 
"     Tea-kettle,  207. 
"     Tobacco,  486. 
Indigo,  Bastard,  271. 
"     Blue  False,  265. 
"     False,  271. 

"     Large  White  Wild,  265. 
"     Mountain,  269. 
•<     Wild,  265. 
"     Wild  White,  265. 
"     Broom,  Yellow,  266. 
Inkberry,  314- 
Ink  Root,  411- 
Innocence,  475. 
Ipecac,  American,  235. 
Ipomoea,  Winged  Leaved,  439- 
Iris,  Dwarf,  69. 

"      Crested,  70. 
Iron-Weed,  Broad  Leaved,  495. 
'^        "       Flat-Top,  495- 
"        "       Tall,  495- 
Iron- Wood,  115. 
''       310. 
Isabella-Wood,  192. 
Ivy,  Five  Leaved,  332. 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit,  34- 
Jessamine,  Carolina,  423. 

"  Yellow,  423. 

Jewell-Weed,  326. 
Jointweed,  156. 

"  Southern,  156. 

Judas  Tree,  American,  2 58. 
June-Berry,  249. 
Juniper,  Low,  18. 
Jussiaea,  Floating,  359. 

Kidney  Bean  Tree,  273. 
King's  Cure-Ail,  158. 


King-Nut,  102. 
Knight's  Spur,  175. 
Knotgrass,  155. 

Lady's  Sliimkr,  Large  Yellow. 73. 
"  '*         Pink.  74- 

"  "         Showy,  74- 

««  "         Small  Yellow.  73 

"       Sorrel,  286. 
"      Tresses,  (irass  Ixaxcd.  .S7. 
"  ••         N (Hiding,  .S4. 

"  "         Slender,  87. 

•'      Thumb,  155. 
Lark's-Hcel  or  Claw.  175. 
Larkspur,  Ajax,  175. 

<'         Carolina,   175. 
**         Dwarf,  174- 
Tall.   175- 
Laurel,  Calico  Bush,  3S9. 
"       Cherry,  255. 
"       Creator  Ro'^.    V-     '^f 
♦'       Ciround.  395- 
"       Hairy,  3S6. 

I.ambkill.  389. 
"       Litlle  or  Dwarf,  381. 
"       Mountain,  3S9. 

Purple,  379- 
"       Sheep,  3S9. 
"       Spoonwort,  3S9. 
'•       Wicky,  389. 
Lavender,  Sea,  411. 
Lead  Plant,  269. 
Leaf-Cup,  Small  Flowered.  51  S- 
"     Yellow  or  !   "    •     ''"■ 
Leather  Flower,  lS 
Leaf.  39A- 
"        Wood,  Southern.  31a 
Lemon,  Wild,  1S9. 
Leopard's  Banc.  531 
Lettuce,  Hairy  Ycincci  Uiuc  yto. 
•'         Hare's,  4S7. 
"        Florida,  4S8. 
False,  4*^'*- 
lall  White,  493- 


55° 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH  NAMES. 


Lettuce,  Tall  Wild,  490. 
"        Water,  36. 
Wild,  493. 
Leucothoe,  Catesby's,  389. 
"  Downy,  391. 

"  Mountain,  391. 

Lever- Wood,  115. 
Lignum-Vitae  Tree,  289. 
Lily,  Asa  Gray's,  51. 
"    Atamasco,  66. 
"    Carolina,  51. 
"    May,  60. 
"    Meadow,  51. 
"    Southern  Red,  50. 
"     Spider,  67. 
"    St.  John's,  50. 
"    Turk's  Cap,  52. 
"    Wild  Red,  51. 
"       "      Yellow,  51. 
"    Wood,  51. 
Li ly-of-the- Valley,  60. 
Lime,  Ogechee,  374. 
Linden,  332. 

"       American,  233- 
Lion's  Foot,  493. 
Live-Forever,  213. 
Liver-Leaf,  179, 

"         "    Heart,  179. 
"  "    Sharp  Lobed,  179. 

Liverwort,  Noble,  179. 
Lizard's  Tail,  97. 
Lobelia,  Downy,  4S4. 
"         Glandular,  484. 
Great,  484. 
Pale  Spiked,  386. 
"         Southern,  483. 
"         Swamp,  486. 
"         Red,  484. 
Locust,  Black,  274. 
"        Bristly,  275. 
"        Clammy,  275. 
"        Honey,  263. 
"        Swamp,  261. 
♦'       Water,  261. 


Locust,  Yellow,  274. 

"       Tree,  274. 
Loosestrife,  407. 
Lotus,  268. 
Lousewort,  467. 
Lungwort,  Tree,  445. 
Lupine,  266. 
Logodesmia,  490. 

Magnolia,  Fraser's,  164. 

"  Great  Leaved,  165. 

"  *'       Plowered,  165. 

"  Laurel,  167. 

"  Southern,  165. 

Mahogany  Tree,  293. 
Mallow,  Clustered  Poppy,  335. 
"        Rose,  336. 
•'         Swamp,  336. 
Mandrake,  Wild,  189. 
Man-of-the-Earth,  438. 
Manziesia,  Alleghany,  382. 
Maple.  Black  Sugar,  322. 
"       Hard,  323. 
"       Low,  323. 
"      Moose  Wood,  323. 
"      Mountain,  323. 
*'      Red,  322. 
"      Rock,  323. 
"      Silver,  322. 
"      Soft,  322. 
"      Striped,  323. 
"      Sugar,  323. 
"       Swamp,  322. 
"       Water,  322. 
''      White,  322. 
Marigold,  Large  Burr,  525. 

"         Marsh,  171. 
Marshallia,  527. 

"■  Broad  Leaved,  528. 

May  Cherry,  249. 
"      Flower,  395. 
"      Pop,  352. 
Meadow  Beauty,  Ciliate,  358. 
*'  "        Maryland,  358. 


INDEX  TO   KNC.Ll^ll    NAMKS. 


Meadow  Rue,  Early,  187. 
"  "     Mountain,  1S6. 

"  "     Purple,  1S7. 

"  "    Tall,  1S7. 

"    Thick  Leaved,  1S6. 
"        Sweet,  234. 
Melanthium,  Small  Flowered,  48. 
Milk  Purslane,  301. 
Milkweed,  Ashy,  437. 

Butterfly,  437. 
*'  Four  Leaved,  437. 

"  Orange  Root,  437. 

"  Pleurisy,  437. 

"  Swamp,  437 

White,  435. 
Whorled,  437. 
Milkwort,    Cross  Leaved,  296. 
"  Large  Flowered,  297. 

"  Marsh,  296. 

"  Orange,  296. 

"  Pine  Barren,  Low,  294. 

Tall,  294. 
"  Racemed,  297. 

Mist-Flower,  498. 
Mistletoe,  American,  144. 
Mitre-Wort,  217, 

"  "     False,  217. 

Moccasin  Flower,  74. 
Mock  Orange,  225. 
Mocker-Nut,   102. 
Monkey-Flower,     Square     Stemmed, 

463- 
Monks-hood,  176. 
Morwing  Glory,  438. 

*'     Small  White,  438. 
''         ''     Red,  439. 
Moss,  Florida,  yj' 
"       Flowering,  406. 
"       Long,  T,T. 
Mother's  Heart,  198. 
Mountain  Fringe,  194. 
"         INIint,  456. 
"  "  Narrow  leaved,  457. 

"  ''  Thin  leaved,  457. 


Mounlain  Mini,  Virginia,  457. 
Mulberry,  I'apcr,  143. 
Red.  143. 
"         While,  143. 
Mus(]uash  Root,  370. 
Myrtle,  Saiul,  382. 

Nklumho,  Yellow,  162. 
Nestronia,  146. 
New  Jersey  Tea,  330. 
Ninchark,  221,  233. 
Noah's  Ark,  74. 
Nose  Bleed,  62. 

Oak,  llarrcn,  1.7. 

"  Hasket,  132. 

*'  Bear,  12.S. 

"  Black,   125. 

"  Box  White.  125. 

*'  Burr,  I3<'t. 

"  Cow,  132. 

**  Chestnut,  132. 
"  "         Rock,   133. 

"  "         Scrub,  133. 

*'  Chinquapin,  133. 

*'  Iron,  134. 

**  Laurel,  130. 

"  Live,  136. 

"  Mossy-Cup,   136. 

**  Ovcrcup,  134. 

**  Poach  Leaved,  13a 

"  Pin,  124. 

"  Post,  134. 

"  Red,  124. 

"  Running,  130. 

"  Scarlet,   124. 

**  Scrub.  127. 

«*  Shingle,  12S. 

*'  Swamp.  134. 

*'  Spanish.  125. 
**  "      Swamp,   124. 

*'  Texan  Red,  1 22. 

'V  Turkey.  125.  127. 

*'  Water,  124.  125. 


552 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH  NAMES. 


Oak,  White,  134. 
"         "       Swamp,  133. 
"    Willow,  130. 
"    Yellow,   132. 
Obedient  Plant,  452. 
Old  Man's  Beard,  422. 
Olive,  American  Wild,  423. 
Oil-Nut,  100,  148. 
Opium,  Wild,  490. 
Orange  Grass,  344. 

"      Root,  172. 

*'       Wild,  255. 
Orchid,  Crane-Flj',  96. 

"       Crested  Yellow,  78. 

"       Fringeless  Purple,  80. 

"       Large  Purple  Fringed,  80. 

"       Ragged,  78. 

"       Showy,  74. 

"       Small  Green  Wood,  78. 

"  "  Pale  Green,  80. 

"  "  Purple  Fringed,  80. 

"      Spring,  74. 

"      Southern  Small  White,  78. 

"      Tree,  97. 

"      Twisted,  87. 

"      Yellow  Fringed,  76. 
Orpine,  American,  213. 
Osage  Orange,  144. 
Oswego-Tea,  455. 

Palm,  Royal,  30. 
Palmetto,  Blue,  31. 

"         Cabbage,  26. 
Sabal,  26. 

"         Saw,  28. 

"         Scrub,  28. 

"         Silver-Top,  31. 

"         Swamp,  28. 
Palmilla,  66. 

Papaw,  North  American,  169. 
Papoose  Root,  188. 
Paradise  Tree,  292. 
Parsnip,  Golden  Meadow,  370. 


Parsnip,  Hairy  Jointed  Meadow,  366. 
*'         Heart-leaved       Alexanders, 
370. 
Partridge-Pea,  259. 

"         Vine,  476. 
Passion  Flower,  352. 

"      Yellow,  354. 
Pecan,  103. 

"     Bitter,  103, 
Pennyroyal,  American,  455. 

"  Bastard,  449. 

Pennywort,  Canby's  371. 
"  Floating,  371. 

"  Marsh,  371. 

"  Many  Flowered,  371. 

Whorled,  371. 
Pepper  Bush,  Mountain  Sweet,  375. 
"      Grass,  Wild,  198. 
"       Root,  200. 
*'        Vine,  330. 
''        Wood,  290. 
Pepperridge,  373. 
Persicaria,  Pennsylvania,  154. 
Persimmon,  414. 
Phacella,  Fringed,  444. 

"         Loose  Flowered,  444. 
"         Mountain,  444. 
Phlox,  Crawling,  442. 
"        Downy,  441. 
"        Ground  or  Moss,  442. 
*'        Mountain,  442. 
Pickerel- Weed,  41. 
Pignut,  103. 

"      Woolly,  103. 
Pilot  Plant,  517. 
Pine,  Bull,  2. 
''    Cuban,  4. 
*'    Elliott's,  4. 
"    Frankincense,  6. 
"    Georgia,  5. 
"    Hickory,  3. 
*'     Jersey,  4. 
"    Long  Leaved,  5. 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH    NAMES. 


553 


Pine,  Loblolly,  6. 

"    Old  Field,  6. 

"    Pitch,  4. 

"    Pond,  5. 

"    Prickly,  3. 

"    Rosemary,  6. 

"    Sand,  3. 

"    Sap,  376. 

"    Scrub,  2. 

"    Short  Leaved,  2. 

"    Southern  Yellow,  5. 

"    Spruce,  2,  3,  10. 

"    Sweet,  376. 

"    Table- Mountain,  3. 

''    Walter's,  2. 

"    Weed,  344. 

"    Weymouth,  6. 

''    White,  6. 

"    Yellow,  2. 
Pinguicula,  Yellow,  469. 
Pink,  Boykin's,  Marsh,  425. 

"     Fire,  159. 

"     Grass,  90. 

''     Lidian,  60,  439. 

"     Large  Marsh,  427. 

"     Old  Maid's,  158. 

"     Root,  425. 

"     Swamp,  46. 

"     Sea  or  Marsh,  427. 

"     Wild,  159. 
Pipe-Wood,  391. 

"     Vine,  Woolly,  150. 
Pitcher-Plant,  206. 

"  "  Parrot  Beaked,  207. 

Plantain,  Pale  Indian,  532. 

"         Robin  or  Poor  Robin,  513. 
"         Snake,  491. 
^'         Sweet  Scented  Indian,  532. 
"         Water,  23. 
Plane-Tree,  232. 
Plum,  Chickasaw,  255. 
Plum,  Hog,  255. 

''     Wild  Red,  255. 

''         "     Yellow,  255. 


Pogonia,  Nodding,  84. 

"       Rose,  82. 

"      Spreading,  82. 

**      Whorlfd,  82. 
Poison  Ivy,  308. 

"      Oak,  308. 
I'olar  I'lanl,  517. 
Poly^ala,  Fringed,  297. 
Polyptcris,  528. 
Ponicttc  Hlcuc,  249. 
Poi)lar,  Black,   113. 

*'      Carolina,  ill. 

**      Do  win,  113. 

**       Lombaidy.  114. 

**      Necklace,  III. 

*'  Silvcr-Leaf,  114. 
Potato  Vine,  Wild,  43S. 
Prairie  Clover,  271. 

"  "         Oattingcr's,  27I. 

Prickly  Ash,  Southern.  290. 
Pridc-of- India,   293. 
Primrose,  Common  Kvcning,  359. 

*'         Willow,  359. 
Psoralea,  Sainfoin,  269. 
Puccoon,  Yellow,  172. 
Putty-Uoot,  94. 
Pyxie,  406. 

Quaker  Ladiks,  475. 
Quassia,  292. 
Quecn-ofthe-Prairics,  241. 
Queen's  Delight,  303. 
Quercitron,  125. 

KAIMiir-WnoD.  14S. 
Ragweed,  Woolly.  534. 
Ragwort,  532. 

(lolden.  534. 
Raspberry,  Black,  236. 

*'         Purple  Flowering,  236. 

Wild  Red,  237. 
Rattle-Box.  416. 
Rattlesnake  Master,  76. 

"  Plantain,  Downv.  87. 


554 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH  NAMES. 


Rattlesnake  Root,  Slender,  493, 

"  Weed,  490. 

Red  Bay,  192. 
"    Bud,  258. 

"    Root,  330. 
Rhododendron,  Catawba,  379. 

"  Dotted  Leaved,  381. 

Resin  Plant,  517. 
Robinia,  Boynton's,  275. 
Rock-Cress,  Lyre  Leaved,  202. 

"  '*     Smooth,  202. 

Rose,  Cherokee,  244. 

"     Pasture,  24^1. 

'"     Prairie,  244. 

"     Rock,  345. 

"     Swamp,  244. 

"     Sun,  345. 
Rosemary,  Marsh,  411. 
Rosin-Weed,  Starry,  519. 
Rue-Anemone,  179. 
Ruellia,  Hairy,  473. 

"      Smooth,  472. 

Sabal,  Dwarf,  28. 
Sabbatia,  Elliott's,  427. 

"         Narrow  Leaved,  427. 
Sacred  Bean,  162. 
Sage,  Lyre  Leaved,  453. 
"       Narrow  Leaved,  453. 
"       Nettle    Leaved,  453. 
Sagittaria,  Lance  Leaved,  23, 

"  Ovate  Leaved,  25. 

Sago,   Wild,  I. 
Sampson,  Black,  520. 
Sandwort,  Pine  Barren,  160. 
Sarsaparilla,  Bristly,  363. 

Wild,  363. 
Sassafras,  193. 
Savin,  18. 
Saxifrage,  Aconite,  216. 

"         Early,  216. 

"         Gray's,  214. 

"         Michaux's,  214. 
Scarlet  Painted  Cup,  465. 


Scorpion  Grass,  Spring,  446. 
Senna,  American,  259. 
*'      Coffee,  261. 
"      Low,  261. 
"      Wild,  259. 
Sensitive  Brier,  257. 
Pea,  261. 
"         Plant,  Large,  261. 
"      WMld,  261. 
Service  Berry,  249. 
Shad  Bush,  248. 
Shepherd's  Purse,  198. 
Shooting  Star,  411. 
Shortia,  402.. 
Shrub,  Yellow  Root,  172. 
Side-Saddle  Flower,  207. 
Silver-Leaf,   221,  303,  326. 

"     Bell  Tree,  416. 
Skullcap,  Hairy,  450. 

"         Heart  Leaved,  450. 
"         Hyssop,  450. 
"         Showy,  450. 
Skunk  Cabbage,  32. 
Smilax,  Lance-Leaved,  64. 

"       Walter's,  64. 
Snake-Grass,  446. 
"      Root,  Black,  173. 
"  "  Button,  367. 

"         "  Dense  Button,  501. 
"         "  Heart  Leaved,  174. 
"         *'  Large  Button,  501, 
*'         "  Samson's,  268. 
"         "  Short  Styled,  369. 
<<         "  Virginia,  150. 
Sneezweed,  Fine  Leaved,  530. 
Snowdrop-Tree,  Four  Winged,  416. 
Soldier's  Cap,  196. 
Sorrel  Tree,  395. 
Sour-Wood,  395. 
Spanish  Bayonet,  56. 
''       Dagger,  58. 
"       Needles,  527. 
Spatter  Dock,  163. 
Spearwort,  Low,  183. 


^  c  I  & 


.V 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH   XAMKS. 


SS5 


Spearvvort,  Oblong  Leaved,  1S4. 
"  Water  Plantain,  184. 

Spice  Bush,  191. 

"  "         Hairy,  192. 

Spider  Lily,  67. 
Spidervvort,  Mountain,  41. 

"  Roseate,   40. 

Spikenard  Tree,  362. 

"  "     American,  ^G^. 

Spiraea,  Virginia,  234. 
Spring  Beauty,  157. 

"  "         Carolina,  157. 

Spruce,  Black,  S. 

Red,  8. 
Spurge,  Alleghany  Mountain,  304. 
"       Flowering,  301. 
"      Nettle,  3or. 
**      Spotted,   301. 
*'      Various  Leaved,  301. 
Squaw,  Mint,  455. 
"       Root,  470. 
"       Vine,  476. 
"       Weed,  Round  Leaf,  534. 

-       Small's,  534. 
"  "      Swamp,  534. 

Squirrel  Corn,  196. 
Stagbush,  479. 
Stagger-Grass,  66. 
"         Weed,  174. 
Star-Grass,  54,  68. 

Yellow,  68. 
Starry  Campion,  158. 
Starwort,  Drooping,  46. 
Steeple-Bush,  234. 
Stenanthium,  Stout,  47. 

"  Grass  Leaved,  47. 

Stick-Tight,  527. 
Stonecrop,  Ditch,  213, 
Stonecrop,  Ncvins,  213. 
"         Wild,  211. 
"         Virginia,  213. 
Stokesia,  Blue,  496. 
Storax,  Downy,  419. 

"      Large  Leaved,  419. 


Storax  Smooth,  419. 
Strawberry  Shrub,  Hairy,  191. 

"        Sniooih,  190. 
"       Bush,  3f7. 
'*       Virginia,  239. 
St.  Antlrcw'H  Cross,  344. 
St.  Jolm's-wort,  341. 

**  Buckley's,  342. 

"  Common.  341. 

Marsh.  344. 
"  Mount.ain,  }y}. 

**  .Shiubl»y,  342. 

**  Spotted,  341. 

Stuartia,  An^el  Fruited,  337. 
Mountain,  337. 
"         Round  Fruited,  jjS. 
.Stump  Tree,  191. 
Sugar-Berry,  142. 
Sumac,  Chinese,  293. 
'*      Dwarf,  3aS. 
*'      Mountain,  308. 
'*      Poison,  308. 
"      Scarlet,  306. 
"      Smooth  Upland,  30I. 
Sundew,  Thread  Ixiaved,  210. 

''        Round  Leaved,  210. 
Sundrops,  Conunon,  361. 
"         Glaucous,  361. 
"         Long  Stemmed,  361. 
.Suntlowcr,  Prook,  525. 

"         Pale  Leaved  Wood,  523. 
"         Red    521. 

Small  Wootl,  523. 
"         Swamp,  531. 
Supple  J.-»ck,  32S. 
Swamp,  Bay,  192. 

Loosestrife,  354. 
"      Wilh.w-Herb,  354. 
Swamp,  Sugar  Pear,  24S. 
Sweet  Pay,  167. 
-       Brier,  245. 
**       Cicely.  Woolly,  369. 
"  ♦*         Smoother,  3^19. 

*'        Fern,  I07. 


556 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH  NAMES. 


Sweet  Leaf,  415. 
Syringa,  Large  Flowered,  225. 
'«       Rough,  225. 

Tar  Flower,  384. 

Tangle-Legs,  478. 

Tear-Thumb,  Arrow  Leaved,  155. 

"  "         Halberd  Leaved,  155. 

Thalia,  Powdery,  72. 
The  Three  Birds,  84. 
Thimble-Berry,  236. 

"        Weed,  179. 
Thistle,  Common  Burr,  535. 
"       Roadside,  535. 
"       Spear,  535. 
"       Sow,  4S7. 
"        Virginia,   534. 
"       Yellow,  535. 
Thorn,  Dwarf,  251. 

"       Large  Fruited,  250. 
"       Washington,  250. 
Thoroughwort,  Common,  498. 

"  White,  498. 

Thyme,  Virginia,  457. 
Tickseed,  Garden,  525. 
"         Greater,  525. 
"         Lobed,  524. 
"         Running,  524. 
Whorled,  525. 
Tick-Trefoil,  Hoary,  279. 

"  "       Naked  Flowered,  279. 

"  "       Pointed  Leaved,  277. 

"  ''       Prostrate,  279. 

"       Sand,  279. 
"  *'       Smooth,  279. 

"       Stiff,  279. 
Titi,  312. 

Tobacco,  Wild,  486. 
Tobacco,  Indian,  486. 
Tofieldia,  45. 

"         Glutinous,  45. 
Tongue,  Deer's,  501. 

"       Hound's,  501. 
Toothache-Tree,  290. 


Toothwort,  Cut  Leaved,  200. 
"         Two-Leaved,  200. 
"         Slender,  200. 
Torry-Tree,  20, 
Touch-Me-Not,  326. 

"     Pale,  327. 
Traveller's  Joy,  182. 
Tree-of-Heaven,  293. 
Trefoil,  Bird's-Foot,  268. 
Tread  Softly,  301. 
Trilisa,  Hairy,  502. 
Trumpets,  206. 

Trumpet,  Creeper  or  Vine,  471. 
"         Leaf,  Spotted,  207. 
"  "     Red  Flowered,  206. 

Weed,  496. 
"         Flower,  Tendrilled,  471, 
Tulip  Tree,  167. 
Tupelo  Tree,  373. 

"       Sour,  374. 
"  *'       Large,  374. 

Turtlehead,  Lyon's,  461. 

''  Red,  462. 

Turpentine-Weed,  517. 
Turkey-Beard,  45. 
Twayblade,  Kidney  Leaf,  89. 
"  Large,  89. 

"  Southern,  89. 

Twisted  Stalk,  Sessile  Leaved,  59. 

Umbrella  Leaf,  189. 

"  Tree,  165.  [i6^. 

''  "    Long  or  Ear  Leaved 

Unicorn-Root,  46. 

Valerian,  False,  534. 
Vanilla  Plant,  50L 
Venus's  Fly-Trap,  208. 

"      Looking-Glass,  483. 
Vervain,  Blue,  447. 

"         Narrow  Leaved,  447. 
Vetch  or  Tare,  Carolina,  28L 

''       *'       ''  *'         Milk,  277. 

<<       '«       <'     Common,  282. 


INDEX  To  j;.\(iLlSII    \.\MKS. 


557 


Vetch  or  Tare,  Tennessee,  277. 
Viburnum,  Small,  479. 
Violet,  Arrow  Leaved,  347. 

"      Bird's  Foot,  349. 

"      Canada,  350. 

"      Dog's  Tooth,  54. 

••       Early  l}Iue,  347. 

"      Lance  Leaved,  350. 

"       Long  Spurred,  352. 

"       Ovate  Leaved,  347. 

"      Round  Leaved,  349. 

"      Sweet  White,  350. 

"      Yellow,  352. 
Virgilia,  264. 

Virgin's  Bovver,  Virginia,  1S2. 
Virginia-Creeper,  332. 
Virginia  Kryngo,  367. 

Wahoo,  139,  317. 
Wake  Robin,  111  Scented,  62. 
"  "       Large  Flowered,  62. 

"  "       Nodding,  62. 

"  '*       Sessile  Flowered,  62. 

"  '*        Underwood's,  61. 

Walnut,  151ack,  100. 
"        White,  100. 
Warea,  203. 
Watches,  207, 
Water-Cress,  199. 

"  "      American,  200. 

"        Hyacinth,  42. 

"         Leaf,  Large  Leaved,  443. 

"  "      Virginia,  443. 

"         Lily,  Sweet    Scented  White, 

162. 
"         Nymph,  162. 
Water  Willow,  Dense  Flowered,  473 
Wax-Berry,  107. 
"     Myrtle,  105. 
"     Work,  319. 


\V.i\ faring  Tree.  American,  478. 
White  Hearts,  196. 
*'       Wood,  167. 
WhitlMsv  r;,.,s>.  Hr.inch,  „.  ._.. 

iiort  Fruited,  joj. 

Wicky,  :}86. 
Widow's  Cross,  211. 
Willow.  Black,  111. 

"        Dwarf  CJrcy,  109. 
*'        I'rairic,  III. 

Sa^c,  109. 
"        Silky,  III. 
"        Virginia,  2:2. 
Wiiul-I'lowcr,  177. 
Wintci berry,  Kvcrgrccn,  314. 

Virginia.  314. 
Wintcrgrccn.  Flowering,  297. 
Wistaria,  American,  273. 
Witch-ILazcl.228. 
\\'i>lf's  Banc,  Trailing,  i;*^- 
Wood  Sage,  449. 
Wood  Sorrel,  (Ircat  \'cll<<w,  2V» 
"  "        I-argc  Flowcrc<l.  2S6. 

Tall  Vcllow.  2S6. 
"  "        Upright  Vcllow,  2S6. 

Violet,  286. 
White,  2S8. 

Nam-Koot,  Wild,  Th). 
\'cllow-Wood,  American,  264. 

"  •'      Kentucky,  2(x\. 

*'       Weed,  510. 

"       Star,  531. 
\' a  upon,  315. 
\\w.  22. 
\'(>n(pi;q>in,  162. 

Zv(;M)KNIs,  Large  Flowcrcil,  40 
"  I'inc  Barren,   >o. 


Index  to  Latin  Names. 


Abies  Fraseri,  ii. 
Acanthaceas,  472. 
Acer  leucoderme,  320. 
"      negundo,  324. 
"      nigrum,  322. 
"      Pennsylvanicum,  323. 
"      rubrum,  322. 
"      saccharium,  322. 
"      saccharum,  323. 
"      spicatum,  323. 
Achroanthes  unifoHa,  90. 
Aconitum  reclinatum,  176. 
"  uncinatum,  176. 

Adlumia  fungosa,  194. 
Adopogon  montanum,  487. 

"         Carolinianum,  488. 
"         dandelion,  488. 
"         Virginicum,  488. 
yEsculus  Hippocastanum,  326. 
"         octandra,  325. 
"        parviflora,  325. 
pavia,  325. 
Agave  Virginica,  66. 
Agrimonia  hirsuta,  243. 

"         incisa,  243. 
Agrostemma  gitliago,  158. 
Ailanthus  glandulosa,  293. 
Aletris  aurea,  54. 
"       farinosa,  54. 
"       lutea,  54. 
Alisma  plantago-aquatica,  23. 
Alnus  alnobetula,  117. 

"       rugosa,  1 17. 
Amelanchier  botryapiuni,  248. 
"  Canadensis,  249. 

Amorpha  fruticosa,  271. 
"  herbacea,  271. 
"         virgata,  269. 


Ampelopsis  arborea,  330. 
"  cordata,  332. 

Amsonia  Anisonia,  431. 

"  angustifolia,  433. 

Anemone  Caroliniana,  177. 
"  quinquefolia,  177. 

"  trifolia,  177, 

"         Virginiana,  179. 
Angelica  Curtisii,  366. 
"        villosa,  366. 
Apios  Apios,  284. 
Apocynum  androsaemifolium,  433. 

"  cannabinum,  433. 

Aquilegia  australis,  174. 
"  Canadensis,  174. 

"  coccinea,  174. 

Arabis  laevigata,  202. 

"      lyrata,  202. 
Alalia  hispida,  363. 
"      nudicaulis,  363. 
*'      racemosa,  363. 
"      spinosa,  362. 
Arenaria  Caroliniana,  160. 
Arisaema  Dracontium,  34. 
•'         triphyllum,  34. 
"         quinatum,34. 
Aristolochia  macrophylla,  150. 
"  serpentaria,  150. 

"  tomentosa,  150. 

Arnica  acaulis,  531. 
Aronia  arbutifolia,  248. 

''       nigra,  248. 
Aruncus  Aruncus,  235. 
Asarum  arifolium,  150, 
"       Canadense,  149. 
"      shuttleworthi,  149. 
*'       Virginicum,  149. 
Asclepias  cinerea,  437. 


INDEX  TO  LATIN'   XAMKS. 


559 


Asclepias  incarnata,  435. 
"         quadrifolia,  437. 
"         tuberosa,  437. 
variegata,  437. 
Ascyrum  aniplexicaule,  344. 
"       hypericoides,  344. 
Asimina  angustifolia,  169. 
"       parviflora,  171. 
*'       pygmaea,  169. 
"       reticulata,  169. 
"       speciosa,  169. 
"       triloba,  169. 
Aster  concolor,  512. 
"      Curtisii,  511. 
"      dumosus,  512. 
"      Elliottii,  511, 
"      ericoides,  512. 
"      grandiflorus,  511. 
"      patens,  512. 
Astilbe  biternata,  216. 
Astragalus  Carolinianus,  277. 

"  Tennesseensis,  277. 

Atamosco  Atamasco,  66. 

"  treatiae,  67. 

Azalea  arborescens,  378. 
"      lutea,  376. 
"      nudiflora,  37S. 
**      vicosa,  378. 

Baptisia  alba,  265. 

"         Australis,  265. 

"         leucantha,  265. 

"         megacarpa,  266. 

"         perfoliata,  266. 

•'         tinctoria,  266. 
I'ejaria  racemosa,  384. 
I'-cllis  integrifolia,  510. 
r.cnzoia  Benzoin,  191. 

''         melissasfoliuni,  192. 
Berberis  Canadensis,  iS8. 
Berchemia  scandens,  328. 
Betula  lenta,  119. 
"      lutea,  118. 
"      nigra,  1 17. 


Bicuculia  Canadensis,  196. 

"         cucullaria,  196. 

"  exiinia,  194. 
Bidcns  bipinnala,  527. 
**  frondosa,  527. 
"  Ixvis,  525. 
Hignonia  crucigcra,  471, 
Bclciia  vcrccunda,  96. 
lirainicria  |)alli(la.  521. 

**  purpurc.i,  520. 

liroussonctia  papyrilcra,  143. 
]'>ruiu)icl)ia  cl)irrhu>a,  154. 
Bucklcya  ciistichuphylla,  146. 
Bumclia  lanuginosa.  412. 

'*       lycioidcs,  412. 

'*       tcnax.  414. 
Bursa  lUirsa-pastoris,  19S. 
lUitncria  fertilis,  190. 

"        Florida,  191. 

Cai.la  I'Ai.rsTRis,  34. 
Callirrhas  papaver,  335. 

"         triangulata,  335. 
Caltha  palustris,  171. 
Canipsis,  471. 
Campanula  Americana,  4S3. 

"  divaricata,  4S3. 

Canna  flaccida,  71. 
Capnoides  rtavulum,  197. 
"  micranthum,  197. 

"  scnjpcrvircns,  196. 

Capparis  cynophallophora.  205. 

"        Jamaiccnsis,  205. 
Cardaminc  bulbosa,  199. 

clcmatitis,  199. 
Pcnnsylvanica,  200. 
rutundifolia,  200. 
Carduus  allissimus,  53$. 
lanccolatus,  535. 
Lccontci,  535. 
"        spinosissimus,  535. 
"         \'irginianus,  534. 
Carpinns  Caroliniana,  1 1  C. 
Carphcphotus  corynilxi-^ 


560 


INDEX  TO  LATIN  NAMES. 


Carphephorus  bellidefolius,  504. 
"  pseudo-liatris,  504. 

"  tomentosus,  504. 

Cassia  Chamaecrista,  259. 
"        Marylandica,  259. 
"        nictitans,  261. 
"        Occidentalis,  261. 
"        Tora,  261. 
Castalia  odorata,  162. 

''       reniformis,  163. 
Castanea  dentata,  121. 
"         nana,  121. 
"         pumila,  121. 
Castilleja  coccinea,  465. 
Catalpa  Catalpa,  472. 
Caulophyllum  thalictroides,  188. 
Celastrus  scandens,  319. 
Celtis  Mississippiensis,  141. 
"      Occidentalis,  142. 
"      pumila,  142. 
Cephalanthus  Occidentalis,  475. 
Ceratiola  ericoides,  304, 
Cercis  Canadensis,  258. 
Chamascypaiis  thyoides,  16. 
Chamaedaphne  calyculata,  394. 
Chamaelirium  luteum,  46. 
Chapniannia  Floridana,  281. 
Cheloiie  glabra,  461. 
''         Lyoni,  461. 
*'        obliqua,  462. 
Chlonanthus  Virginica,  422. 
Chrysopsis  graniinifolia,  505. 
'^  Mariana,  504. 

*'  pilosa,  504. 

Chrysogonum  Virginianum,  519. 
Chondrophora  nudata,  505. 
Cicuta  maculata,  370. 
Cichorium  intybus,  487. 
Cimicifuga  Americana,  173. 
"  cordifolia,  174. 

"  racemosa,  173. 

Cladrastis  lutea,  264. 
Claytonia  Caroliniana,  157. 
"         Virginica,  157, 


Cliftonia  monophylla,  312. 
Clintonia  borealis,  59. 

"         umbellulata,  58. 
Clintoria  Mariana,  282. 
Clinopodium  Caroliniana,  456. 

"  coccineum,  456. 

Clematis  Addisonii,  182. 
"        crispa,  180. 
"       ochrolenca,  182. 
"       ovata,  182. 
"       reticulata,  180. 
"       viorna,  180. 
"        Virginiana,  182. 
"  "  Catesbyana,  183. 

Clethra  acuminata,  375. 

"        alnifolia,  375. 
Coccothrinax  Garberi,  31. 
"  jucuuda,  31. 

Commelina  erecta,  40. 
"  hirtella,  40. 

"  Virginica,  38. 

Comptonia  peregrina,  107. 
Conopholis  Americana,  470. 
Convallaria  majalis,  60. 
Convolvulus  repens,  439. 

"  spithamaeus,  439. 

Corallorhiza  Corallorhiza,  94. 
"  multiflora,  92. 

"  cdontorhiza,  94. 

Coreopsis  auriculata,  524. 
"         gladiata,  525. 
"          major,  525. 
"  nudata,  525. 

"  tinctoria,  525. 

"  verticillata,  525. 

Corylus  Americana,  116. 

"        rostrata,  116. 
Cotinus  Cotinoides,  308. 
Cornus  alternifolia,  372. 
"       amonum,  273- 
"       asperifolia,  273- 
"       Florida,  273- 
''       stricta,  373. 
Cracca  spicata,  273. 


IXDKX  TO  LATIN   NAMKS. 


5C1 


Cracca  Virginiana,  273. 
Crataegus  aestivalis,  250. 
"         apiifolia,  250. 
*'         brachyacantha,  249. 
"         cordata,  250. 
"         punctata,  250. 
"         uniflora,  251. 
"         vailiai,  251. 
Creanothus  Aiucricanus,  330. 
Criiium  Anieiicanum,  67. 
Croomia  paucitlora,  44. 
Croton  Alabaniensis,  299. 
"       glaiululosus,  299. 
"       maritimus,  299. 
Cuscuta  compacta,  440. 
'*        arvensis,  441. 
"        rostrata,  44T. 
Cyrilla  racemiflora,  310. 

"       parvifolia,  310. 
Cypiipedium  acaule,  74. 

"  hiisutum,  y^. 

*'  parvifloruin,  73. 

"  reginas,  74. 

Dasystoma  flava,  464. 

"  laevigata,  464. 

"  pedicularia,  463. 

Decodon  verticillatus,  354. 
Decuiiaria  barbara,  222. 
Delphinium  Ajacis,  175. 

*'  Carolinianuni,  175. 

*•'  consolida,  175. 

"  tricorne,  174. 

"  urceolatum,  175. 

Dendrium  buxifoliuni  prostratum,  38: 
Dentaria  diphylla,  200. 

"         heterophylla,  200. 
"         laciniata,  200. 
Dianthera  Americana,  473. 
Diervilla  Dietvilla,  4S1. 

"        sessilifolia,  481. 
Dionaea  muscipula,  208. 
Dioscorea  villosa,  69. 
Diospyros  Virginiana,  414. 


l)iphyllcia  cymosa,  1S9. 
Dispurum  laiiu^inuitum,  59. 

*•  macuUluin,  59. 

Draba  brachycarpa,  20 j. 
"      ramosiii»ima,  202. 
*'     vcrna,  203, 
Droscra  l)revifulia,  210. 
*'        filiformis,  210. 
rotundifulia,  2ia 

Ki.i  lorriA  KACRMOSA,  384. 

Kpigx  rcpcns,  395. 
Kpidciulruin  conopseiiin,  97. 

"  vcnosum,  97. 

Krigcron  pulchcllus,  513. 

"        vermis,  513. 
Kriogonum  tomcntuNum,  152. 
Kryngium  n(|uaticum,  307. 
"  Haldwinii,  367. 

'*         Virginiaiuim.  367. 
Erythrina  herbacca,  282. 
Erythronium  Amcricanum,  152. 
Euonymus  Amcricanus,  317. 
Eupaturium  album,  49S. 

*'  capillifolium,  49S. 

"  coclcstinum,  4<>S. 

"  incarnatuin,  496. 

'*  perfoliatum,  498. 

'*  purpurcum,  496. 

Euphorbia  corollata,  301. 
"  heterophylla,  301. 

"  maculata.  301. 


Fac.its  Amkku  ana.  119, 
Flaveria  lincris,  528. 
Fothergilla  Carolina,  230. 

"  major,  230. 

Eragaria  Virginiana,  239. 
Kra.xinus  Americana,  421. 
Hiltmorcana,  421. 

"        Cartiliniana,  422. 

**        lanccolata,  419. 

•'        profunda,  422. 


562 


INDEX  TO  LATIN  NAMES. 


Gaillardia  lanceolata,  531. 
Galax  aphylla,  402. 
Gaultheria  procumbens,  119. 
Gaylussacia  dumosa,  398. 
"  frondosa,  398. 

"  resinosa,  398. 

"  ursina,  396. 

Gelsemium  sempervirens,  423. 
Gentiana  crinita,  428. 

Elliottii,  428. 
"  porphyrio,  430. 

**  quinquefolia,  428. 

"  saponaria,  430. 

"  villosa,  430. 

Gerardia  divaricata,  465. 
"         fillifolia,  464. 
"         purpurea,  465. 
"         Skinneriana,  465. 
"         tenuifolia,  465. 
Geranium  Carolinianum,  285. 

"  maculatum,  285. 

Geum  Canadense,  240. 
Gilia  rubra,  442. 
Gleditsia  aquatica,  261. 

"        triacanthos,  263. 
Gordonia  Altamaha,  338. 

"        Lasianthus,  338. 
Guaiacum  sanctum,  289. 
Gymnocladus  dioica,  263. 
Gyrostachys  brevifolia,  87. 
''  cernua,  84. 

"  gracilis,  Sy. 

"  praecox,  87. 

Habenaria  ctliaris,  y6. 

"  clavellata,  78. 

"  cristata,  78. 

"  flava,  80. 

"  grandiflora,  80. 

"  lacera,  78. 

"  Michauxi,  78. 

"  nivea,  78. 

"  peramaena,  80. 

"  psycodes,  80. 


Hedeoma  pulegioides,  455. 
Heleastrum  Chapmanii,  513. 
Helenium  autumnale,  531. 
"  brevifolium,  530. 

"  tenuifolium,  530. 

Helianthemum  Carolinianum,  345. 
"  corymbosum,  345. 

Helianthus  Dowellianus,  521. 
"  heterophyllus,  521. 

"  longifolius,  521. 

"  microcephalus,  523. 

"  strumosus,  523. 

Heliotriopium  curassavicum,  445. 
"  Europaeum,  445. 

"  Indicum,  445. 

Helonius  bullata,  46. 
"         dioica,  47. 
Hepatica  acuta,  179. 

"        hepatica,  179. 
Heuchera  Americana,  218. 
Rugelli,  218. 
"         villosa,  218. 
Hexalectris  aphyllus,  94. 
Hibiscus  aculeatus,  237' 
"        coccineus,  336. 
"         grandiflorus,  336. 
"         Moscheutos,  ^3^' 
Hicoria  alba,  102. 
"        aquatica,  103. 
"        Carolinseseptentrionalis,  102. 
"       glabra,  103. 
"       laciniosa,  102. 
"       minima,  103. 
"       myristicaeformis,  100. 
"       ovata,  102. 
"        Pecan,  103. 
"       villosa,  103. 
Hieracium  Gronovii,  493. 
"  Marianum,  491. 

*'  paniculatum*  491. 

"  scabrum,  491. 

"  venosum,  491. 

Hottonia  inflata,  409. 
Houstonia  angustifolia,  475 


INDEX  TO  LAll.N    \ 


563 


lioustonia  coerulea,  475. 
"  purpurea,  475. 

"  serpyllifolia,  473. 

Hudsonia  ericoides,  346. 
"         montana,  345. 
Hydrangea  arborescens,  221. 
"  quercifolia,  221. 

"  radiata,  221. 

Hydrastis  Canadensis,  172. 
Hydrocotyle  Canbyi,  371. 

"  ranunculoidcs,  37  [. 

"  umbellata,  37  f. 

"  verticillata,  371. 

Hydrophyllum  macrophylluni,  443. 

"  Virginicum,  443. 

Hymenocallis  crassifolia,  68. 
"  lacera,  68. 

"  Occidentalis,  67. 

Hypericum  aureum,  341. 
"  liuckleii,  342. 

"  densiflorum,  342. 

"  fasciculatuni,  342. 

"  graveolens,  339. 

"  maculatum,  341. 

"  perforatum,  341. 

"  prolificum,  342. 

Hypoxis  juncea,  68. 
"        hirsuta,  68. 

H.EX  CASSINE,  315. 

"    decidua,  315. 
"    glabra,  314. 
"    monticola,  312. 
"    opaca,  314. 
"    verticillata,  314. 
"    vomitoria,  315. 
Illicium  Floridanum,  168. 
"         parviflorum,  16S. 
Impatiens  aurea,  327. 
"  biflora,  326. 

Ipomaea  lacunosa,  438. 
"        pandurata,  438. 
"        purpurea,  438. 
Iris  cristata,  70. 


Iii^  \.  iii.i.  <>,. 
**    versicolor,  70. 
Itca  Virginica,  222. 

Jatroi'Ha  stimii.osa,  301. 
Juglans  cincrca,  100. 

nigra,  99. 
Juniperns  barbadcn*!.-*,  17. 
nana,  18. 
\irginiana,  iS. 
*Jussix'a  rcpcns  graiidiHora,  35*). 

Kaiistr/Knua  maxima.  290. 

Kahnia  angustifolia,  ^). 

"       c  uncata,  3S6. 

"       hirsuta,  \SC>. 

"       latifolia,  3S9. 
Knciffia  frulicosa,  361. 

"        glauca,  361. 

'*        longipcdicfllata.  361. 
Koellia  flcxuosa,  457. 

"        in  can  a,  456. 

*•       niontana,  457. 

"        Virginiana,  457. 
Kostclct/.kya  Virginica,  335. 
Kuhnislera  pinnata,  271. 

Labiat.'E,  448. 

Glecoma  hciit-ratci,  ^.\-^. 
Lamiuni  piir])urcum,  448. 
Marrubium  vulgare,  44.S. 
Mentha  spicata,  449. 
Nepta  C'ataria.  44S. 
Prunella  vulgaris,  44S. 
I.acinaria  clcgans,  500. 

C'hapinanii.  501. 
"         scariosa,  501. 
"         spicata,  501. 
"         S(juarrosa,  501. 
Lactuca  Canadensis,  49a 
'*        Kloridana,  488. 
"        villosa,  490. 
Legonzia  perfoliala.  485. 
Leitneria  Kloridana,  109. 


5^4 


INDEX  TO  LATIN  NAMES. 


Lepidium  Virginicum,  198. 
Leptamnium  Virginianum,  470. 
Leptorchis  liliifolia,  89. 
Lespedeza  capitata,  281. 
"  frutescens,  280. 

"  procumbens,  280. 

"  violaceae,  280. 

Lesquerella  Lescurii,  203. 
Leucothoe  acuminata,  391. 
"  axillaris,  391. 

"          Catesasbi,  389. 
"  recurva,  391. 

Liliuni  Canadense,  51. 
"       Carolinianuni,  51. 
"       Catesbaei,  50. 
"        Grayi,  51. 
"        Philadelphicuni,  51. 
"        superbum,  52. 
Limnanthemum  aquaticum,  431. 
"  lacunosum,  431. 

Limonium  Carolinianum,  411. 
Limodorum  niultifloruni,  92. 
"  pallidum,  92. 

"  parviflorum,  92. 

"  tuberosum,  90. 

Linum  Floridanum,  288. 
"       Virginianum,  289. 
Liquidambar  styraciflua,  230. 
Liriodendron  tulipifera,  167. 
Listera  australis,  89. 

Smalli,  89. 
Lobelia  amaeiia,  483. 
"       cardinalis,  484. 
"       glandulosa,  484. 
"       inflata,  486. 
"       padulosa,  486. 
"       puberula,  484. 
"       spicata,  486. 
"       syphilitica,  484. 
Lonicera  dioica,  480. 
"         flava,  480. 
"         Japonica,  480. 
''         sempervirens,  480. 
Lotus  Helleri,  268. 


Lupinus  diffusus,  268. 
"         villosus,  266. 
Lygodesmia  aphylla,  490, 
Lysimachia  Fraseri,  407. 

"  nummularia,  409. 

"  quadrifolia,  407. 

"  terrestris,  409. 

Macbridea  pulchara,  452. 
Magnolia  acuminata,  164. 

"         foetida,  165. 

"         Fraseri,  164. 

"         macrophylla,  165. 

"         tripetala,  165. 

"         Virginiana,  167. 
Mai  us  angustifolia,  246. 

"      coronaria,  246. 
Marshallia  graminifolia,  527. 

"  obovata,  528. 

"  trinervia,  528. 

Meibomia  arenicola,  279. 

"  canescens,  279. 

"  grandiflora,  277. 

"  laevigata,  280. 

"  Michauxii,  279. 

"  nudiflora,  279. 

"  stricta,  279. 

Melanthium  latifolium,  48. 
"  parviflorum,  48. 

"  Virginicum,  48. 

Melia  azederach,  293. 
Menziesia  pilosa,  382. 
Mertensia  Virginica,  445. 
Mesadenia  atriplicifolia,  532. 
Mimulus  ringens,  463. 
Mitella  diphylla,  217. 
Mitchella  repens,  476. 
Mohrodendron  Carolinum,  416. 

"  dipterum,  416. 

Monotropsis  odorata,  376. 
"  uniflora,  375. 

Monarda  didyma,  455. 

"         fistulosa,  453. 

"         punctata,  455. 


INDEX  TO  LAIIX   N'AMKS. 


Morongia  uncinita,  257. 
Morus  alba,  143. 

"      rubra,  143. 
Myosotis  laxa,  446. 

"         palustris,  446. 
"         Virgiiiica,  446. 
Myrica  Carolinensis,  107. 

"       cerifera,  105. 

"       inodora,  107. 

"       pumila,  105. 


Xabalus  albus,  493. 

"  altissiimis,  493. 

"  serpentarius,  493. 

virgatus,  493. 
Nelumbo  lutea,  162. 

"         nelumbo,  162. 
Neptunia  Floridana,  258. 
Nestronia  umbellula,  146. 
Neviusia  Alabamensis,  241. 
Nolina  Georgiana,  52. 

"       Brittoniana,  52. 
Nymphaea  advena,  163. 

"  sagittaefolia,  163. 

Nyssa  aquatica,  374. 
"      ogeche,  374. 
"      sylvatica,  273- 

Onagra  biennis,  359. 
Opulaster  opulifolius,  233. 
Orchis  spectabilis,  74. 
Orobanche  minor,  470. 
"  ramosa,  470. 

Orontium  aquaticum,  32. 
Osmanthus  Americanus,  423. 
Ostrya  Virginiana,  115. 
Oxalis  acetosella,  288. 

"      cymosa,  286. 

"      grandis,  286. 

"      recurva,  286. 

"      striata,  286. 

"      violacea,  286. 
Oxeodoxa  regia,  30. 


Oxydcndruin  arborcum.  yit. 
Oxycoccuaeryihr 

PACIIYSANriRA  I'Rocl  M»*KN  ^  y^. 

I'acliyslima  Canbyi,  317. 
Panax  quinqucfolimn,  J64. 

*'      trifolium,  364. 
Parnassia  xsaiifDlia,  218. 

'*  Caroliniana,  220. 

Parthcnocissus  quiiiqucfolia,  332 
PassiHora  incarnala,  352. 

lutca,  354. 
Pcdicularis  CanadcnHin,  467. 
Pcltandra  sagitta-folia,  32. 

Virginica.  34. 
Pcnthormn  scdoidcs,  213. 
Pcnlstcmnii  hirsutus,  462. 
dissectUH,  462. 
"  Pentslcmon,  462. 

"         Smallii,  462. 
Pcrainiimi  pubcsccns,  87. 

"         "      rcpcns,  87. 
Persea  Horlwnia,  192. 

"       j)iibcsccns,  192. 
Petalostcnion  (ialtinjtjcri.  271. 
Phacclia  bipannalifida,  444. 

'*        fimbriata,  444- 
Philadclphus  hirsiituH,  22$. 

*'  grandiriorus,  225. 

Phoradciulron  Havcsccns,  144. 
Phccnix  dactylifcra,  26. 
Plilox  ovala,  442. 

"      pilosa,  441. 

"       rcptans.  442. 

"       siibulata,  442. 
Physostegia  Virginiana,  452. 
Piarcjpus  crassipcs,  42. 
Picca  alba,  8. 

"     Canadensis,  8. 

*'     Mariana,  8. 

*'     riibcns,  8. 
Pieris  Horibunda,  393. 

"      Mariana,  393. 

♦•      nilida,  393. 


566 


INDEX  TO  LATIN  NAMES. 


Pieris  phillyreifolia,  393. 
Pinguicula  elatior,  469. 
"  lutea,  469. 

"  pumila,  469. 

Pinckneya  pubens,  476. 
Pinus  clausa,  3. 

"      echinata,  2.  ♦ 

"      glabra,  2. 
"      heterophylla,  4. 
"      palustiis,  5. 
"      pungens,  3. 
"      rigida,  4. 
"      serotina,  5. 
"      strobus,  6. 
"      taeda,  6. 
"      Virginiana,  4. 
Pistia  spathulata,  36. 
Platanus  Occidentalis,  232. 
Pluchea  caniphorata,  515. 
Podophyllum  peltatum,  189. 
Pogonia  divaricata,  82. 

"         ophioglosoides,  82. 
"         trianthophora,  84. 
"         verticillata,  82. 
Polygala  Baldwinii,  296. 
"       cruciata,  296. 
"       cyniosa,  294. 
"        grandiflora,  297. 
"        incernate,  296. 
"       lutea,  296. 
"        paucifolia,  297. 
"        polygama,  297. 
"       ramosa,  294. 
Polygonella  Americana,  156. 
"  gracilis,  156. 

"  macrophylla,  156. 

"  parvifolia,  156. 

Polygonum  arifolium,  155. 
'*  aviculare,  155. 

"  dumentorum,  155. 

"  Pennsylvanicum,  154. 

"•  persicaria,  155. 

"  sagittatum,  155. 

Polymnia  Canadensis,  515. 


Polymnia  laevigata,  517. 
"         uvedalia,  517. 
Polypteris  integrifolia,  528. 
Populus  alba,  1 14. 

*'       candicans,  114. 
"       deltoides,  iii. 
"       dilatata,  114. 
"       grandidentata,  114. 
"       heterophylla,  113. 
Porteranthus  stipulatus,  235. 
"  trifoliatus,  236. 

Potentilla  Canadensi,  240. 
"         tridentata,  239. 
Prunus  Alabamensis,  251. 
"       Americana,  255. 
"       angustifolia,  255. 
"       Caroliniana,  255. 
"       injucunda,  253. 
'*       Pennsylvanica,  253. 
"       serotina,  253. 
"       umbellata,  255. 
"      Virginiana,  253. 
Pseudophoenix  Sargenti,  30. 
Psoralea  Onobrychis,  269. 
"       pedunculata,  268. 
Pterocaulon  pycnostachyum,  505. 
Pyrularia  pubera,  148. 
Pyxidanthera  barbulata,  406. 

QUAMOCLIT  COCCINEA,  439. 

"  Quamoclit,  439. 

Quercus  acuminata,  132. 

"  alba,  134. 

"  brevifolia,  130. 

"  Catesbaei,  127. 

*'  Chapnianii,   138. 

"  coccinea,  124. 

*'  digitata,  125. 

**  Georgiana,   125. 

"  imbricaria,  128. 

"  laurifolia,  130. 

"  lyrata,  134. 

"  macrocarpa,  136. 

"  Marylandica,  127. 


INDKX  TO   i.Al  l.\    .\A\I] 


Quercus  Michauxii,  132. 
minima,  13S. 
minor,  134. 
myrtifolia,   130. 
nana,    128. 
nigra,   125. 
pagodxfolia,  127. 
palustris,  124. 
Phellos,  130. 
platanoides,  133. 
prinoides,  133. 
prinus,  133. 
pumila,  130. 
rubra,  124. 
Texana,  122. 
velutina,  125. 
Virginiana,  136. 

Ranunculus  AiiORTivus,  1S5. 

"  Alleghaniensis,  1S4. 

"  hispidus,  185. 

"  micranthus,  1S5. 

"  oblongifolius,  184. 

"  obtusiusculus,  1S4. 

"  Pennsylvanicus,  186. 

"  piisillus,  183. 

"  sceleratus,  184. 

Rhamnus  Caroliniana,  328. 
Rhaphidophyllum  hystrix,  31. 
Rhexia  ciliosa,  358. 

filiform  is,  358. 
glabella,  358. 
lutea,  358. 
Mariana,  356. 
Rhododendron  Catawbiense,  379. 
♦'  Champani,  381. 

"  maximum,  381. 

"  punctatum,  381. 

"  vaseyi,  38 1. 

Rhus  copallina,  308. 
*'      glabra,  30O. 
"      Michauxii,  306. 
"      toxicodendron,  308. 
"      vernix,  308. 


Kibes  curvjtuiii,  225. 
"       cynohbaii,  227. 
**       proHtratum,  227. 
'*       rotundifolium,  227. 
Kohinia  Hoyntoni,  275. 
*'        hispida,  275. 
**        pHcudacacia,  274. 
*'        viscosa,  275. 
Roripa  Nasturtium,  195, 
kosa  Carolina,  244. 
"     humilis,  244. 
"     htvi^ata,  244. 
"     rubij^inosa,  245. 
•*     scligcra,  244. 
Rubus  Canadensis,  237. 
"     cimcifolius,  23.S. 
*'     hispidus,  23S. 
'*     nigrobaccus,  237. 
**     Occidcntalis,  236. 
"     odoratus,  236. 
"     strigosus,   237. 
'*     trivialis,  238. 
*'     villosus,  23S. 
Rudbeckia  heliopsidi.s,  520. 
'*  laciniata,  519. 

"  triloba,  52a 

Rucllia  ciliosa,  473. 
"       strcpcns,  472. 

SAHAL  a  HANSON  I    2S. 

"       palmetto,  26. 
Sabbatia  angustifolia,  427. 
"  ]>oykini,  425. 

"  dodecandra,  427. 

'♦  Klliottii,  427. 

"  gentianoidcs,  427. 

*•  stellaris,  427. 

Sagittaria  lancifolia,  2^. 
♦'         latifolia,  25. 
"         longirostra,  25. 
•«         Mohrii,  25. 
*♦        plal)'phyllj.  25- 
"        subulata  nataii»,  35. 
Salix  hiMuilis,  III. 


568 


INDEX  TO  LATIN  NAMES. 


Salix  nigra,  in. 
"     sericea,   in. 
"     tristis,  109. 
Saponaria  officinalis,  158. 
Salvia  azurea,  453. 
lyrata,  453. 
**        urticifolia,  453. 
Sanguinaria  Canadensis,  197. 
Sanicula  Canadensis,  369. 
Sarothra  gentianoides,  344. 
Sarracenia  Drummondii,  206. 
"  flava,  207. 

"  Psittacina,   206. 

"  purpurea,  207. 

"  rubra,  206. 

"  variolaris,  207. 

Sassafras  Sassafras,  193. 
Saururus  cernuus,  97. 
Saxifraga  Grayana,  214. 
"         Michauxii,  214. 
"         Virginiensis,  216. 
Scrophulariaceae,  460. 

Antirrhinum  Majus,  461. 
Digitalis  Purpurea,   461. 
Linaria  Linaria,  460. 
Paulownia  Tomentosa,  461. 
Verbascum  Thapsus,  460. 
"  Blattaria,  460. 

Veronica  Arvensis,  460. 
Scutellaria  cordifolia,  450. 
"  integrifolia,  452. 

"  men  tana,  450. 

"  pilosa,  450. 

"  serrata,  450. 

Sedum  Nevii,  213. 
''       pulchellum,  211. 
"       pusillum,  213. 
"       telephioides,  213. 
"        ternatum,  211. 
Senecio  aureus,  534. 
"       millefolium,  532. 
"        obovatus,  534. 
"        Smallii,  534. 
**        tomentosus,  534. 


Serenoa  arborescens,  30. 

"        serrulata,  28. 
Shortia  galacifolia,  402. 
Silene  Baldwinii,  159. 
"       Caroliniana,  159. 
"       rotundifolia,  160. 
"       stellata,  158. 
"       Virginica,  159. 
Silphium  asteriscus,  519. 
"        laciniatum,   517. 
"         perfoliatum,   519. 
"         terebinthinaceum,  517. 
Simaruba  glauca,  292. 
Sitilias  Caroliniana,  490. 
Sisyrinchium  Atlanticum,  71. 
"  graminoides,  70. 

*'  scabrellum,   71. 

Smilax  auriculata,  64. 
''      bona-nox,  64. 
"      hispida,  6^. 
"       lanceolata,  64. 
"       laurifolia,  63. 
''       Pseudo-China,  64. 
''       pumila,  64. 
''       Walteri,  64. 
Solanum  Carolinense,  458. 
Solidago  bicolor,  509. 
"         Canadensis,  510. 
"         caesia,  509. 
*'         glomerata,   507. 
"         monticola,  507. 
"         nemoralis,  510. 
*'         odora,  509. 
*'         puberula,  509. 
"         spithamasa,  507. 
Sorbus  Americana,  245. 
Sonchus  asper,  487. 

*'        oleraceus,  487. 
Spathyema  fcetida,  32. 
Spigelia  Marylandica,  425. 
Spiraea  salicifolia,  234. 
"       tomentosa,  234. 
'^       Virginiana,   234. 
Steanthium  gramineum,  47. 


INDEX  TO  LAriX  NAMES. 


Steanthium  robustum,  47. 
Steironema  ciliatum,  40<j. 

lanceolatuiii,  409. 
Stokesia  laevis,  496. 
Storax  Americana,  419. 

*'      grandifolia,  416. 

"      pulveiulenta.  419. 
Staphylea  trifolia,  319. 
Stillingia  aquatica,  303. 
"         sebifcruni,  303. 
"         sylvatica,  303. 
Streptopus  roseus,  59. 
Stuartia  Malachodendion,  33S. 

"         pentagyna,  337. 
Svvietenia  mahogoni,  293. 
Synosma  suaveolens,  532. 
Syndesmon  thalictroides,  179, 
Symplocostinctoria,  415. 

Taxodium  distichum,  12. 
Taxus  Floridaiia,  22. 
Tecoma  radicans,  471. 
Teucrium  Canadense,  449. 
Thalia  dealbata,  72. 

"         divaricata,  72. 
Thalictrum  clavatum,  1S6. 

"  coriaceum,  1S6. 

"  dioicum,   187. 

"  polyganiuni,  187. 

"  puipurascens,  187. 

Thaspium  barbinode,  366. 
Thermopsis  Caioliniana,  264. 
Therofon  aconitifolium,  216. 
Thrinax  Floridana,  30. 

"  niicrocarpa,  31. 

Thuja  Occidentalis,  16. 
Tiarella  cordifolia,  217. 
Tilia  Americana,  ;^;^t,- 
"     heterophylla,  2;^^. 
"     pubescens,  333. 
Tillandsia  Bartramii,  38. 

"  caespitosa,  38. 

"  usneoides,  37. 

Tipularia  unifoha,  96. 


Tofieldia  glabra,  45. 

"liiiinotu,  45. 

:  .ilunlriii,   45. 
i  "Wi.ii  poinifcrum,   144. 
Ti.idcscaiitia  nuinUnA,  40. 
4«. 

'^  '.1. 

Tragopog.ju  p. 

Trautvctlcria  C.iroimcn*i<,  iSj 

Triadcnum  |>€lioIaiiim,  344. 

'*  V'irginicum,  344. 

Ti  ibiilus  cistoides,  290. 
Tritliostma  dichotomum,  447. 
Trilisa  odoratisima,  501. 

"       paniculata,  502. 
Trillium  cernuiim,  62. 

"      crcctiiin.  (12. 

"      grnndirtoriim.  62. 

'*      sessile,  6j. 

*'      stylosum,  60. 

"      Undcrwoodii,  61. 
Tsuga  Canadensis,  10. 
"       Caroliniana,  lO. 
Tumion  taxifoliiini,  20. 

Ul.MARIA  RIHRA.    .4I2 

Ulnuis  alata.  139. 
"        Americana,  141. 
"        fulva,  141. 
"       serotina,  139. 
Utriciilaria  cornuta,  46S. 
inrtata.  469. 
'*  purpurea,  46S. 

*•  subulata,  4<k'^. 

Uvularia   grandirt«»ra,  4S. 
'*         pcrfoliata,  49. 
"         puberula,  49, 
**         sessilifolia.  40. 

VA('(  INH'M    VKIUikl 

i.issifolium,  40(X 

isii'iitn,    ',<)S. 

; 'I. 


570 


INDEX  TO    LATIN    NAMES. 


Vacciniutn  nitidum,  400. 
"  pallidum,  400, 

<'  stamineum,  400. 

Veratrum  parviflorum,  48. 
Verbena  angustifolia,  447. 
"        Canadensis,  447. 
"         Caroliniana,   447. 
"         hastata,  447. 
Verbesina  alternifolia,  523. 
"  Occidentalis,  523. 

"  Virginica,  523. 

Vernoniaglauca,  495. 
"  gigantea,  495. 

''  Noveboracensis,  495. 

Vicia  Caroliniana,  281. 

"      sativa,  282. 
Viburnum  acerifolium,  479. 
"  almifolium,  478. 

'*  dentatum,  479. 

"  obovatum,  479. 

"  prunifolium,  479. 

**  rufotomentosum,  479. 

Viola  blanda,  350. 
*'      Canadensis,  350. 
"      hastata,  350. 
"      lanceolata,  350. 
Viola  ovata,  347. 
"      palmata,  347. 


ola  pedata,  349. 

'  rostrata,  352. 

'  rotundifolia,  349. 

'  sagittata,  347. 

'  scabriuscula,  352. 

*  tripartita,  352. 

'  vicinalis,  349. 


Warea  amplexifolia,  203. 
Washingtonia  Claytoni,  369. 

''  longistylis,  369. 

Willughbaea  scandens,  498. 

Xanthorrhiza  apiifolia,  172. 
Xanthoxylum  Clava-Herculis,    290. 

Yucca  ai.oifolia,  56. 
*'  filamentosa,  58. 
"       gloriosa,  58. 

Zamia  pumila,  I. 
Zerophyllum  asphodeloides,  45. 
Zenobia  cassinefolia,  394. 
Ziza  aurea,  370. 

*'      cordata,  370. 
Zygadenus  glaberrimus,  49. 
'*  leimanthoides,  50. 


